Department of Political Science Ph.D. alumnus Ronay Bakan has won two different awards from sections of the American Political Science Association (APSA) for her dissertation titled “Counterinsurgent Urbanism: Weaponizing Land and Heritage in the Kurdish Region of Turkey”. Bakan won the Best Dissertation Award from the Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) section, and Honorable Mention for Best Fieldwork from the Democracy and Autocracy section. Congratulations to Dr. Bakan!

Department of Political Science Ph.D. alumnus Julieta Casas has published a new article titled “American Exceptionalism in Comparative Perspective” in the journal Studies in Comparative International Development. Casas provides a new framework for the study of American exceptionalism by comparing the U.S.’s political development with that of Latin American and European states. Congratulations to Julieta!

This co-hosted class focuses on divergent perspectives on liberal education.

The Journal Democratic Theory recently published Dr. Jessica Croteau’s (’25) new article “A Fermented Myth of Democracy” in a special issue on the concept of Earthborn Democracy. In the article, Croteau argues that an earthly democracy may be conceptualized through the specific processes of life and death found in fermentation. Congratulations, Jessie!

Professor Vesla Weaver has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1780, the Academy honors scholars and thought leaders across academic disciplines by recognizing their excellence in research. Professor Weaver is particularly recognized for her research on the carceral state, race-class subjugated communities, and the impact of policing on democratic life. Congratulations, Professor Weaver!

Dr. Jessie Croteau, who received her PhD in 2025, was awarded the 2026 Environmental Political Theory Best Paper Award at the Western Political Science Association (WPSA) for her paper “In Praise of Decay, Toward a Politics of Compost”. This award is given to the author of the best paper in environmental political theory presented at the annual WPSA meeting, recognizing outstanding scholarship and contribution to the field. Congratulations, Jessie!

In his latest post from his Substack Money/Power, Professor of political theory Sam Chambers questions the views of money and inflation influenced by the economist Milton Friedman. He argues that they have an inaccurate definition of money as a substance itself instead of a relationship between people in the economy. Subscribe to Professor Chambers’ Substack, Money/Power, for this and several other posts on the topic of Money and Politics!

In the book, Kawade analyzes the heretofore unknown relationship between the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the Indian jurist B. R. Ambedkar. Based on their shared understanding of the Brahmanic Manusmriti, Kawade reveals the “provocative similarities and irreconcilable differences” between the two thinkers. The book was published by Navayana Publishing House. Congratulations, Ankit!