Dr. Sankar Muthu

Biography

Sankar Muthu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, specializing in political theory and the history of political thought. His research focuses particularly on Enlightenment ideas and their legacies. Muthu has written extensively on significant political theorists such as Rousseau, Diderot, Grégoire, Hutcheson, Adam Smith, Kant, Herder, Schiller, and Cugoano. He is the author of 'Enlightenment Empire' (Princeton) and has contributed to edited volumes including 'Empire of Modern Political Thought' (Cambridge). His published essays have appeared in journals like Political Theory and Social Research. Currently, he is writing two books: the first investigates global oppression and enlightenment resistance, examining the cosmopolitan dimensions of Enlightenment political thought, while the second explores the complex relationship between humanity and inhumanity in various European texts from the mid to late eighteenth century. Over the past few years, Muthu has presented papers and delivered lectures at prestigious venues such as the University of Oxford, the Einstein Forum in Berlin, Columbia University, and Princeton University, furthering the discourse on the intersections of political thought and historical contexts.

Research Interests