Jacob Levy
Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory
Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory
Past:
Distinguished Fellow for the Study of Liberalism and the Free Society, Institute for Humane Studies
Templeton Adam Smith Tercentenary Fellow, University of Glasgow
Fulbright Scholar, University College, University of New South Wales
Ph.D. in Politics, Princeton University
M.A. in Politics, Princeton University
LL.M., University of Chicago Law School
B.A. in Political Science, Brown University
In contemporary normative political theory: multiculturalism, nationalism, liberalism, pluralism, theories of justice, non-ideal theory
In the history of political thought: medieval and early modern thought, especially the French, Scottish, and American Enlightenments and the history of constitutionalist and liberal thought
In legal and constitutional theory: rights of indigenous peoples, federalism, choice of law and conflicts of laws, freedom of association, religious freedom, contract, analytic jurisprudence, legal pluralism
- Coordinator of the Research Group on Constitutional Studies
- Editorial Board, American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Social Philosophy and Policy. Past: Journal of Politics, Political Studies, Political Research Quarterly, Publius: The Journal of Federalism.
Books
- The Multiculturalism of Fear (Oxford University Press, 2000); in Spanish, El multiculturalismo del miedo (Madrid: Tecnos/ Collección de ciencias sociales, 2003)
- Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom. (Oxford University Press, 2014); in Spanish, Racionalismo, pluralismo y libertad (Santiago: Instituto de Estudios de la Sociedad, 2022)
- Interpreting Modernity: Essays on the Work of Charles Taylor. Daniel Weinstock, Jacob T. Levy, and Jocelyn Maclure, eds. (McGill-Queens University Press, 2020)
- Nomos LV: Federalism and Subsidiarity. Jacob T. Levy and James Fleming, eds. (New York University Press, 2014.)
- Colonialism and Its Legacies. Jacob T. Levy and Iris Marion Young, eds. (Lexington Press, 2011.)
Selected articles
-
“World Without End.” 54(4) Polity 802-809, 2022
-
“The Separation of Powers and the Challenge to Constitutional Democracy.” 25 Review of Constitutional Studies 1-18, 2021.
-
“Contra Politanism.” 19(2) European Journal of Political Theory 162-183, 2020
-
“Social Injustice and Spontaneous Orders," 24(1) The Independent Review 49-62, 2019
-
“There Is No Such Thing As Ideal Theory,” 33(1-2) Social Philosophy & Policy 312-333, 2016“
- Not so Novus an Ordo: Constitutions Without Social Contracts,” 37(2) Political Theory 191-217, 2009
- "Federalism, Liberalism, and the Separation of Loyalties," 101(3) American Political Science Review 459-77, 2007
- "Beyond Publius: Montesquieu, Liberal Republicanism, and the Small-Republic Thesis." 27(1) History of Political Thought, 50-90, 2006
Co-organizer (with Victor Muñiz-Fraticelli), "Constitutionalism and the Free Society," May 2021
Co-organizer (with Josiah Ober and Melissa Schwartzberg), “Political Theory In/ And/ As Political Science” May 2018
Co-organizer (with Victor Muñiz-Fraticelli, Nelson Tebbe, Paul Horwitz, and Richard Garnett), Annual Law and Religion Roundtable, June 2016
Co-organizer (with Daniel Weinstock and Jocelyn Maclure), “Charles Taylor at 80,” March 2012
Co-organizer (with James Fleming), Annual Meeting of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy, “Nomos: Federalism and Subsidiarity,” September 2011
Co-organizer (with Glyn Morgan), “Security, Federalism, Democracy, and the European Alternative,” March 2011
Political Theory section co-chair (with Jennifer Rubenstein), Canadian Political Science Association annual meeting; included conference-within-the-conference on “Non-ideal and institutional theory,” June 2010
Organizer, “Hume and Smith on Justice, Sympathy, and Commerce,” April 2007
Co-chair (with Iris Marion Young), "Colonialism and Its Legacies," an international meeting of the Conference for the Study of Political Thought, Chicago, April 2004.
“The pride of man, the vanity of the philosopher, and the misfortune of the king,” Adam Smith Tercentenary Lecture, King’s College London, October 2023.
"Irregular Liberty," Keynote, Duke University graduate student conference in political theory, February 2023.
"The Separation of Powers and the Challenge to Constitutional Democracy," Annual McDonald Lecture in Constitutional Studies, University of Alberta, November 2020.
"Free Speech on Campus: The University as a Complex Association," College of Charleston Department of Political Science convocation lecture, February 2020.
"Black Liberty Matters," David S. Saurman Lecture, San Jose State University, February 2018. University of Connecticut Law School, April 2019.
“Justice in Babylon”. Keynote lecture, Association for Political Thought conference, Oxford, 2017. University of Maryland College Park Distinguished Lecture, 2017. University of San Diego invited lecture, 2018. Jos de Beus annual lecture, University of Amsterdam, 2018.
“Political realism and moral microfoundations.” University of Otago Philosophy Department lecture, July 2017.
“Three Perversities of Indian Law,” plenary panel, Federal Bar Association Indian Law Division, 2009.
“Federalism and Freedom,” Inaugural Lecture, UCLA Program for the Study of Liberty, November 2008
(offerings vary by year)
POLI 231: Introduction to Political Theory
POLI 334: Western Political Theory 2, crosslisted as PHIL 344: Medieval and Renaissance Political Theory
POLI 433: History of Political and Social Theory 3 (17th-18th century)
POLI 434: History of Political and Social Theory 4 (19th-20th century)
POLI 367: Liberal Political Thought
POLI 561: Seminar: Political Theory
POLI 613: Select Themes, Political Theory
POLI 614: Proseminar, Political Theory
POLI 617: Problems in Political Theory
POLI 659: Seminar in European Studies