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Dr Graham M. Smith
Lecturer in Political Thought
Department: Politics, Philosophy and Religion PPR
Degree: Political and Religious Thought BA Hons (Lancaster) Philosophy MA (Sheffield) Political Theory Ph.D. (Lancaster)
Current Teaching
I am the convenor of:
POLI 204 Understanding Politics: Part I: The Individual and Liberty
POLI 304 Reading Political Theory: Aristotle and Nietzsche
PPR.426 Political Theory and Modernity: Order, Value, and Critque
I also teach on:
POLI 100 Understanding Politics and Governance: Principles of Liberal Democracy
Research Interests
My interests are based in Political Thought and cover themes and thinkers from the nineteenth century to contemporary times. I have interests in both the European and Anglo-American tradition. I understand political theory to draw not only from politics, but from related concerns such as philosophy and religion.
In addition to my 'backdrop' interests I have two ongoing research projects which guide my activities. The first focuses on friendship. Friendship was prized by the Greco-Roman thinkers as an idea and ideal to rank alongside justice. It features as a concern for all the major thinkers. This raises the question: What has happened to friendship in Modernity? Moreover, what role can and should friendship play in contemporary political thought? My research explores these questions arguing that we should understand friendship as indicating the affective and moral ties that bind us together to make politics possible. Friendship, then, indicates the horizontal relationships which are often distorted or neglected by an analysis of politics through vertical relations of sovereign and individual power.
My second project focuses on the ideas of order and value. In particular I am interested to explore how politics is a response to the need for order and value in the light of human freedom. Order and value provide us with stability and meaning, whereas human freedom points to a radical instability and (perhaps) even meaninglessness. Thus, this project views the question of political and human ontology as being one of a radical tension of necessity and contingency.
I have recently co,mpleted a monograph for Imprint Academic entitled 'Friendship and the Political: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schmitt'. (http://www.booksonix.com/imprint/bookshop/).
Potential Doctoral Proposals
Anglo-American Political Theory
European/Continental Political Theory
Interdisciplinary work connecting political theory to Philosophy, Religion, and allied subjects
Political Modernity
Friendship
Order and value
Political ontology
A variety of thinkers including: Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Schmitt.
Publications
Friendship and the Political: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schmitt. (forthcoming with Imprint Academic).
'Friendship and the World of States', International Politics, 48: 1 (2011), pp. 10-27.
'Gopal Balakrishnan: Antagonistics: Capitalism and Power in an Age of War', book review forCapital and Class, 34: 3 (2010), pp. 540-542.
'Friendship and Politics' (with Heather Devere), Political Studies Review, 8: 3 (2010), pp. 341-356.
'Ernst Jünger: On Pain', book review for Capital and Class, 34: 2 (2010), pp. 287-289.
'Kierkegaard, Søren', Encyclopaedia of Political Theory, ed. Bevir, Mark, Sage, (2010).
'Through A Glass, Darkly: The Vision and Visions of Political Theory', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 11: 2 (2009), pp. 360-375.
'Reading Kafka's Trial Politically: Justice-Law-Power', Contemporary Political Theory, 7: 1 (2008), pp. 8-30.
Friendship in Politics (edited with Professor Preston King), Routledge, 2008.
'Kierkegaard: Responsibility to the Other', Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 10: 2 (2007), pp. 181-197.
'Into Cerberus' Lair: Bringing the Idea of Security to Light', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 7: 4 (2005), pp. 485-507.
'Kierkegaard from the Point of View of the Political', History of European Ideas, 31: 1 (2005), pp. 35-60.
Selected Presentations and Conference Papers
'Friendship and Power: Exclusionary Ideals?' presented at Political Studies Association (Edinburgh, 2010).
'Friendship and the World of States' presented at International Studies Association (New Orleans, 2010).
'Friendship and the International Community' presented at IPSA World Congress (Santiago, 2009).
'The Dangers of a Political Friendship: Nietzsche Contra Schmitt' presented at International Studies Association (San Francisco, 2008).
'Friendship and the State' presented at 9th Congres de l'Association Francaise de Science Politique (Toulouse, 2007).
Eprints Publications Repository and Bibliographic Database
Graham M. Smith has 8 selected publication records listed on this webpage. Use links to access abstracts and full text where available. View all records to sort by date, type and title. For all ePrints records go to http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk
Smith, Graham (2011) Friendship and the Political:Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schmitt. Imprint Academic. ISBN 9781845402464
Devere, Heather and Smith, Graham M. (2010) Friendship and Politics. Political Studies Review, 8 (3). pp. 341-356. ISSN 1478-9299
Smith, Graham M. (2009) Through a Glass, Darkly : The Vision and Visions of Political Theory. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 11 (2). pp. 360-375. ISSN 1369-1481
King, Preston and Smith, Graham M (2008) Friendship in Politics. Routledge, London and New York. ISBN 0415420814
Smith, Graham (2008) 'Reading Kafka's Trial Politically: Justice-Law-Power'. Contemporary Political Theory, 7 (1). pp. 8-30. ISSN 1470-8914
Smith, Graham M. (2007) Kierkegaard: Responsibility to the Other. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 10 (2). pp. 181-197. ISSN 1369-8230
Smith, Graham M. (2005) Into Cerberus' lair : bringing the idea of security to light. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 7 (4). pp. 485-507. ISSN 1467856X
Smith, Graham M. (2005) Kierkegaard from the point of view of the political. History of European Ideas, 31 (1). pp. 35-60. ISSN 0191-6599
Associated Keywords: Friendship, Kierkegaard, Modernity, Nietzsche, Political ontology, Political philosophy, Political theory, Politics
View all research activities, ePrints, news and events associated with Graham M. Smith.
Contact Details
Tel: +44 (0)1524 594254
Room: County South, B68
Office Hour: Term Time Only: Tuesdays 16.00 - 17.00 and Thursdays 14.00 - 15.00 Appointments outside of these times can be arranged by email.
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Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YD
United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1524 510851
Fax: +44 (0) 1524 510857
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