

The Political Theory Review
Jeffrey Church
Conversations with scholars on recent books in Political Theory and Social and Political Philosophy.This podcast is not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin, and no opinions expressed on this podcast are that of the University of Wisconsin. Image: Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), After a model by Jean Antoine Houdon (French, Versailles 1741–1828 Paris), in the public domain courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of ArtHost contact: Jeffrey Church, jchurch4@wisc.edu
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 11, 2025 • 37min
Episode 186: William Galston - Anger, Fear, Domination
A conversation with William Galston about his recent book, "Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech" (Yale UP).

Sep 10, 2025 • 50min
Episode 185: Cass Sunstein - On Liberalism
A conversation with Cass Sunstein about his recent book "On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom" (MIT Press).

Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 21min
Episode 184: John Christman - Reconceiving Freedom from the Shadows of Slavery
A conversation with John Christman about his recent book, "Reconceiving Liberty from the Shadows of Slavery: Liberty in a Nonideal World" (Cambridge UP)

22 snips
Aug 12, 2025 • 56min
Episode 183: Linda Zerilli - A Democratic Theory of Truth
Linda Zerilli, a professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, dives into her book on democratic truth. She discusses the impact of misinformation in politics, particularly during the Trump era. Zerilli critiques fact-checking and the subjective nature of truth, drawing from Foucault and Arendt. The conversation explores the interplay between solitude and social processes in thinking, the importance of diverse voices in deliberative democracy, and challenges the post-truth landscape by advocating a reevaluation of truth through ordinary language.

Jul 23, 2025 • 1h 8min
Episode 182: Alyssa Battistoni - Free Gifts
A conversation with Alyssa Battistoni about her recent book, "Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature" (Princeton UP)

Jul 9, 2025 • 1h 14min
Episode 181: Amit Ron and Abraham Singer - Everyone's Business
A conversation with Amit Ron and Abraham Singer about their recent book, "Everyone's Business: What Companies Owe Society" (U Chicago Press).

Jun 19, 2025 • 58min
Episode 180: Robert Gooding-Williams - Democracy and Beauty
A conversation with Robert Gooding-Williams about his recent book, "Democracy and Beauty: the Political Aesthetics of W.E.B. DuBois" (Columbia UP).

Jun 4, 2025 • 1h 10min
Episode 179: Natasha Piano - Democratic Elitism
A conversation with Natasha Piano about her recent book, "Democratic Elitism: the Founding Myth of American Political Science" (Harvard UP).

May 20, 2025 • 1h 6min
Episode 178: Agustina Paglayan - Raised to Obey
A conversation with Agustina Paglayan about her recent book, "Raised to Obey: The Rise and Spread of Mass Education" (Princeton UP)

May 16, 2025 • 1h 17min
Episode 177: Ryan Balot - Tragedy, Philosophy, and Political Education in Plato's Laws
A conversation with Ryan Balot about his recent book, "Tragedy, Philosophy, and Political Education in Plato's Laws" (Oxford UP).