I'm a political theorist and historian of political thought trained in law, philosophy, and political science. I work on 18th-21st century debates about democracy, public opinion, and liberalism. In January 2027, I'll be joining Maastricht University as an assistant professor in political philosophy. Since 2024, I've been with the Université Libre de Bruxelles as an FNRS chargé de recherches. Previously, I held a British Academy fellowship at King's College London, taught at Brown and Yale, and earned my PhD from the University of Cambridge (2019).
My first monograph, The People's Two Powers: Public Opinion and Popular Sovereignty from Rousseau to Liberal Democracy (Cambridge, "Ideas in Context," 2026) revisits the emergence of democratic theory during the French Revolution, examines how French liberalism took shape in reaction to that emergence, and sheds light on the invention and posterity of the idea of "liberal democracy."
My work to date and my research plans for the near future focus on the following axes.
1. The History of Liberalism
I've written about the historical tensions between liberal thought and democracy, including, most recently, in Bernard Manin's work. A piece published in Political Studies highlights the importance of tradition-building—the act of reclaiming great liberal ancestors—to the history of liberalism. I'm currently completing an article on transatlantic debates about liberalism and empire in the 1960s.
2. Technological Changes and Conceptions of Political Participation
Technological innovation influences how we think about citizens' involvement in politics. In an ongoing book project, Politics Without Presence, I explore how new technologies, from the newspaper press to television, shaped European and North American political theorists' arguments against participation in popular assemblies from the 18th to the 20th century and the alternatives they envisioned. A pilot article is out in Political Theory.
3. The History and Theory of Elite Accountability
What are the institutional mechanisms that can help make elected representatives accountable? This project examines conceptions of moral censorship, the imperative mandate, and recall—first in Rousseau, then during the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the independence of South American colonies in the early 19th century. A pilot article is out in the American Political Science Review.
