Alexander Kirshner, Associate Professor of Political Science

Please note: Alexander has left the "Duke Middle East Studies Center" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

My research cuts across democratic theory and comparative politics. My first book investigated the paradoxical ethical dilemmas raised by antidemocratic opposition to democratic government (A Theory of Militant Democracy, Yale University Press, 2014). My second book offers explores the value legitimate opposition, a practice under threat across the globe. It has the imaginative title: Legitimate Opposition (Yale University 2022). And it is the first full-scale analysis of the history and character of this practice in 50 years. 

My current research explores the character of undemocratic regimes and the virtue of robustness to political philosophy.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	140 Science Drive, 204K Gross, Box 90204, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	(919) 660-4300
Email Address:
Web Page:	http://sites.duke.edu/kirshner/

Teaching (Spring 2024):

• POLSCI 175D.001, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Gross Hall 103, MW 03:20 PM-04:20 PM

• POLSCI 175D.01D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Physics 205, F 03:20 PM-04:10 PM

• POLSCI 175D.02D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Physics 227, F 01:40 PM-02:30 PM

• POLSCI 175D.03D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Gross Hall 111, Th 01:40 PM-02:30 PM

• POLSCI 175D.04D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Physics 227, Th 03:20 PM-04:10 PM

• POLSCI 175D.05D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Gross Hall 111, Th 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

• POLSCI 175D.06D, INTRO TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Synopsis

  Physics 227, F 12:00 PM-12:50 PM

• POLSCI 590-1.01, INTERMEDIATE TOPICS POL THEORY Synopsis

  Gross Hall 104, Tu 03:05 PM-05:35 PM

Education:

Ph.D.

Yale University

2011

Specialties:

Political Theory

Research Interests:

My research cuts across democratic theory, comparative politics and constitutional law. I have just completed a book investigating the paradoxical ethical dilemmas raised by antidemocratic opposition to democratic government (forthcoming-Yale University Press). My current research explores the intellectual history and practice of legitimate opposition and the competition between religious parties in contemporary Egypt and Tunisia

Keywords:

Democracy

Curriculum Vitae

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Kirshner, AS; Spinner-Halev, J, Why Political Philosophy Should Be Robust, American Political Science Review (January, 2023) [doi]  [abs]
2. Kirshner, AS, Legitimate opposition (September, 2022), pp. 1-282, ISBN 9780300243468  [abs]
3. Kirshner, AS, Can liberal integrity handle disagreement? Perhaps not, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, vol. 24 no. 4 (January, 2021), pp. 642-649 [doi]  [abs]
4. Kirshner, A, What Is Christian Democracy? Politics, Religion and Ideology. By Carlo Invernizzi Accetti. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. 396p. $120.00 cloth., Perspectives on Politics, vol. 18 no. 3 (September, 2020), pp. 938-939, Cambridge University Press (CUP) [doi]
5. Rubenstein, J; Dovi, S; Pineda, ER; Woodly, D; Kirshner, AS; El Amine, L; Muirhead, R, Political and ethical action in the age of Trump, Contemporary Political Theory, vol. 17 no. 3 (August, 2018), pp. 331-362, Springer Nature [doi]