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Matt Simonton earned degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Stanford. Before joining Princeton, he spent twelve years in the American Southwest at Arizona State University. His work focuses on the political institutions and social conflict of the ancient Greek world, utilizing applied social science methodologies. His graduate training included a Master’s degree in Political Science with a concentration in Comparative Politics, where he pursued broad questions about democratization and authoritarianism. His book, 'Classical Greek Oligarchy: Political History', published by Princeton University Press in 2017, examines the phenomenon of oligarchy, specifically the practices of wealthy ruling elites designed to maintain control over subject populations. Simonton draws on New Institutional approaches to explain various practices observed in authoritarian regimes including fraudulent elections and patronage networks. He has also published articles in leading peer-reviewed journals on topics such as ancient burial practices and political representation in democracies. His ongoing work, supported by prestigious institutions, investigates the political cultural history of demagoguery in ancient Greece and the class dynamics in historiography. Simonton is also interested in the reception of ancient political ideas in later intellectual traditions, particularly concerning notions of governance and obedience.
Princeton University • Princeton, NJ
GRE scores are not accepted. Ph.D. is the primary degree; students are not required to hold an M.S.E. prior to admission.