I joined the School in 2009 as a lecturer in politics. Previously I gained a PhD in political thought and philosophy of religion from Cambridge (2002-06) and I held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Nottingham (2007-09).
My most recent book publications include a monograph entitled Metaphysics: The Creation of Hierarchy (W.B. Eerdmans, 2012) and an edited essay collection on The Crisis of Global Capitalism (Wipf & Stock, 2011). Both my teaching and my research are situated at the interstice of political theory, political economy and international relations (particularly British and continental European politics). I also have a strong interest in the role of ethics and religion in politics. Currently my research focuses on contemporary post-liberal politics. This work combines a critique of economic and social liberalism with alternatives that emphasise reciprocity, mutuality and the common good.
The work on post-liberalism involves several publication projects. First, an essay collection on Blue Labour (co-edited with Ian Geary) featuring contributions from Jon Cruddas MP, Lord Glasman, Natascha Engel MP, Frank Field MP, Tom Watson MP, Ruth Davis, David Lammy MP, Arnie Graf and David Goodhart.
Second, a monograph provisionally entitled The Politics of Virtue: Britain and the post-liberal future (together with John Milbank), which contrasts the impersonalism of liberal institutions and policies with the post-liberal politics of individual virtue and public honour.
Third, a number of journal articles, including on the self-abolition of liberalism and on post-liberal political economy.
Linked to the work on post-liberalism is a future book project on The Global Politics of Paradox. The focus will be on the three ‘logics’ of modern politics (binomial, dialectic and paradoxical) and on contemporary phenomena such as authoritarian democracy, market monopoly and state capitalism, which neither binomial nor dialectical approaches can explain.
Over the next decade, I will also extend my work on Europe by writing Europe’s Historical Hope, a book that blends a critique of the dominant models of European integration with alternatives that accentuate the shared cultural and social ties. The aim is to develop this work in a second book, The European Commonwealth, which shifts the focus on the greater Europe in a world of resurgent empires. In addition to my research, I am involved in a number of other ventures. Since 2007, I have been an associate editor of the journal TELOS and a Fellow of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy. In 2012, I joined the independent, non-partisan think-tank ResPublica as a Trustee, helping shape its strategic direction and contributing to various essay collections – including on House of Lords reform, the hidden wealth of communities, Church of England social action, and moral markets.
For the past eight years, I have also been writing regularly for the comment and op-ed pages of The International Herald Tribune, The Guardian, The Moscow Times, The National, The Huffington Post, The Conversation, ABC Religion & Ethics and Les Echos on geo-politics, political economy, Europe and religion.