Centre for Political Theory and Political Philosophy

The Centre for Political Theory and Political Philosophy is one of the research clusters within SPGS and is affiliated to the Keele-Oxford-St Andrews Kantian (KOSAK) research centre. It aims to provide a platform for all theoretical, analytical and normative research on political questions, bringing together research staff and students for peer-to-peer discussion, support, and exchange of ideas.

The Centre is open to all sub-disciplines and methodological approaches within political theory and political philosophy, as well as to interdisciplinary projects. Specifically, the Centre aims to bridge the more political and the more philosophical perspectives in political theory/political philosophy, as well as the analytical and continental research traditions. It therefore welcomes all (and everything in-between any) of the following:

  • Analytical political philosophy
  • Continental political philosophy
  • Normative political theory
  • Interpretive political theory
  • Applied political theory
  • History of political thought

Current interests within the Centre include:

  • Democratic theory
  • Green political theory
  • Ideal and non-ideal theory
  • Critical social and political theory
  • Cosmopolitanism
  • Kantian political philosophy
  • Desert and justice
  • Normativity in political philosophy
  • Multiculturalism and recognition
  • Feminist political philosophy
  • 20th century existentialist thought
  • International relations theory

The Centre is also home to PhD students working on environmental theory and the Kantian sublime, discourse ethics and the Brexit case. We welcome new PhD applications in all of the areas listed above.