Colloquium Paperss

Political Theory Faculty

Lawrie Balfour's work centers on issues of race, gender, power, and memory. She is the author of The Evidence of Things Not Said: James Baldwin and the Promise of American Democracy (Cornell, 2001) and the forthcoming Democracy's Reconstruction: Thinking Politically with W. E. B. Du Bois (Oxford). She is currently at work on a book manuscript on reparations for slavery and Jim Crow.

Colin Bird’s research focuses primarily on liberalism and democratic theory. His book The Myth of Liberal Individualism (Cambridge, 1999) sharply criticizes recent libertarian political theory and challenges several prevailing characterizations of the liberal tradition and its rivals. On leave at Princeton's Center for Human Values for the 2001-02 academic year, Colin is writing a book on the concept of respect, as well as an introductory volume on political philosophy.

 George Klosko works in the history of political theory, especially Greek political theory, and on contemporary normative issues, notably political obligation. His recent books include Political Obligations (Oxford, 2005) and the Second Edition of The Development of Plato's Political Theory (Oxford, 2006). He is currently editing The Oxford Handbook of the History of Political Philosophy, and working on a study of the development of central concepts in American liberalism during the New Deal period

Chris Lebron's work is broadly located within non-ideal theory. His book manuscript addresses racial inequality and justice, and his latest project is on the relationship between luck, blame, and normative political theory.

Melvin L. Rogers works in the history of political theory, especially American Political Thought, and on themes relating to pragmatism, John Dewey, democratic theory, republicanism, and race. His most recent book, The Undiscovered Dewey: Religion, Morality, and the Ethos of Democracy (Columbia UP, 2008), explores the influence of Darwinian evolution and its corresponding ideas of contingency and uncertainty on Dewey’s religious, ethical, and democratic philosophy. He is currently at work on two book projects, the first uses the philosophical and political category of “the people” understood as a not yet realized ideal, and argues that this category served as the space in which women and blacks sought to transform their fellows in 19 th and 20 th century America. The second project, explores the relationship between philosophical ideas of excellence and its relationship to democratic governance in American political thought.

Jennifer Rubenstein works on issues in contemporary international political theory. She is especially interested in global justice, democratic theory as it pertains to unelected actors, international ethics, theories of moral responsibility, methods of non-ideal theory, and the relationship between imagination and politics. She has published or forthcoming articles in Journal of Politics, Journal of Political Philosophy and Journal of Social Philosophy, as well as chapters in several edited volumes. She is currently working on a book manuscript based on her dissertation, entitled “Just Samaritans? Political Ethics for Anti-poverty NGOs.”

Stephen White examines issues in critical social theory and continental political thought. His most book, Sustaining Affirmation: The Strengths of Weak Ontology in Political Theory (Princeton UP, 2000), develops the concept of "weak ontology," which is central to the enterprise of creating constructive political theory without foundations. He has explored the implications of this project for how we conceive of citizens and democracy today in his most recent work, The Ethos of a Late-Modern Citizen (Harvard UP, 2009)

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POLITICAL THEORY SCHEDULE

2009-2010

The Political Theory Colloquium provides an informal, interdisciplinary forum for the presentation of work in progress. The Colloquium features papers by UVA faculty members, visiting scholars, and graduate students in the fields of political philosophy, religious studies, ethics, intellectual history, and related disciplines. Papers are distributed in advance and participants come prepared to discuss them in detail.

The Political Theory Workshop meets on selected Fridays from 12-1:30 p.m. at Cabell Hall, Rm. 226. Lunch is provided, although it is on a first come first serve basis.

CONTACTS

Faculty Organizer : Melvin L. Rogers, Assistant Professor, Department of Politics, mlr2d@virginia.edu

Graduate Student Assistant Coordinator : David Novitsky, djn3g@virginia.edue

 Papers Forthcoming

September 11: Abdulaziz Sachedina, “Forms of Participation in Muslim Political Heritage,” Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Discussant: Halil Yenigun

October 16: George Klosko, “Transformation of American Liberalism,” Department of Politics, University of Virginia

Discussant: Will Umphres

October 23: Richard Boyd, “ Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and the Boundaries of Liberal Citizenship,” Government, Georgetown University

Discussant: Justin Rose

 November 13 th: Ruth Grant, “Custom’s Power, Reason's Authority: A Neglected Problem in John Locke's Thought,” Political Science, Duke University

Discussant: Sara Henary

 November 20: Patchen Markell, “ Arendt and Habermas Revisited: The Critique of Marx and the Critique of Capitalism,” Political Science, University of Chicago

Discussant: Greta Snyder

 December 4: Joel Olson, “ Extremism and American Political Thought,” Political Science and International Affairs, Northern Arizona University

American Political Thought: Institutions and Values Series co-sponsored with the Miller Center

Discussant: James Patterson

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Tentative Spring Schedule

Ian Ward, Political Science, University of Maryland, College Park

Jill Frank, Political Science, University of South Carolina

Michael Gillespie, Political Science, Duke University

Eddie Glaude, Religion and African American Studies, Princeton