I am a postdoctoral researcher and philosopher at the London School of Economics (LSE), specializing in theoretical frameworks that shaped ideas of what we colloquially call “social democracy” (although I prefer the term communitarian republicanism). My primary research interest lies in — what I call — the “left-Kantian” tradition of the nineteenth and twentieth century. This current is heavily influenced by Kant’s philosophy but replaces his individualist notion of freedom with a communitarian concept of freedom inspired by Marx. Although my work focuses on historical figures, I read them in dialogue with contemporary political theorists, particularly with neo-Marxists (Gerald A. Cohen), neo-Republicans (Philip Pettit), and Critical Theorists (Rainer Forst).
My research has been accepted and published in journals such as Kantian Review, Continental Philosophy Review, and Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie. I have extensively written and published on the left-Kantian tradition within the Marburg School, focusing on figures like Friedrich Albert Lange, Hermann Cohen, Rudolf Stammler, and Ernst Cassirer. This research was also the subject of my PhD thesis, which led to the publication of two monographs: one in English with De Gruyter and another in German with Königshausen und Neumann.
Currently, I am finalizing my work on Kant (a paper on his notion of citizenship and the general will, and a paper on a Kantian account of democratic duties) and Johann Benjamin Erhard (a paper on his human rights approach and a paper on his concept of economic injustice). I have started this research as a postdoctoral researcher in “The Kantian Foundations of Democracy” project, led by Reidar Maliks and funded by the Research Council of Norway at the University of Oslo.
During my postdoctoral tenure at LSE, I work with Lea Ypi on examining left-Kantian currents at the beginning of the twentieth century. In my first paper, I explore Max Adler’s neo-Kantian interpretation of Marx’s idea of history and the state, which in my view provides a fruitful contribution to a debate in Analytical Marxism.
Beyond my research in political theory, I also think about teaching methods that help to broaden and diversify philosophical canons. Here, I draw inspiration from Quentin Skinner’s contextualism, the hermeneutical tradition of the nineteenth and twentieth century, and recent feminist epistemology.
Biography
- 2025-2028: Erwin Schrödinger Postdoctoral Fellow at the London School of Economics
- Currently: 2024-2025: NRW-Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo and the London School of Economics
- 2022-2024: Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oslo
- 2022: Ph.D. in Philosophy with honors from the University of Vienna
Get in touch!
Together with Lea Ypi, I am co-hosting and editing an “author-meets-critic” workshop on The Noumenal Republic by and with Rainer Forst. The contributions will be published in Kantian Review. If you happen to be in London on November 7th and 8th, drop by!
Together with Bettina Bussmann, I am co-editing a special issue in Educational Theory and Philosophy on “Canonical Pluralism.” We are still looking for contributions! The CfP can be found here.
I spend most of my time in London and Vienna. I also travel a lot. Below you will find my upcoming talks. Drop me a line if you’d like to meet up!
- September 12, 2024: “Kant on Economic Dependency and Citizenship,” Kant Congress, University of Bonn, Germany
- September 19-20, 2024: “The Contestatory Nature of Citizenship in Kant,” Kant and Democracy, University of Oslo, Norway
- October 18-20, 2024: “Max Adler’s Concept of the State,” Rice University, USA
- November, 7-8, 2024: “Rainer Forst’s Account of Democracy and the Problem of Representation,” London School of Economics, United Kingdom
- December 16-18: “The Jewish Origins of Hermann Cohen’s Ethical Socialism,” Maimon, Cohen, Cassirer, University of Potsdam, Germany