CV - Laura K. Field, Ph.D.
Academic Appointments
2024-Present. Associate. Illiberalism Studies Program, George Washington University.
2019-Present. Scholar in Residence, American University, School of International Service
2019-Present. Senior Fellow, Niskanen Center, DC.
2014-2018. Full-time Faculty. American University, School of International
2013-2014. Visiting Assistant Professor, Georgetown University, Department of Government
2011-2013. Postdoctoral Fellow. Rhodes Rhodes College, Department of Political Science
Education
Ph.D. in Government, University of Texas at Austin, December 2011 (committee members: Tom Pangle, Lorraine Pangle, Devin Stauffer, Gary Jacobsohn, Jonathan Marks)
M.A. in Political Science, University of Alberta, May 2005
B.A. (Honors) in Political Science, University of Alberta, May 2003
Academic Publications - Book
Untethered: New Right Intellectuals and the Future of American Conservatism. Under contract with Princeton University Press (trade side). Anticipated publication in 2025.
Academic Publications - Reviews, Articles, and Book Chapters
“Johnathan O’Neill’s Conservative Thought and American Constitutionalism since the New Deal.” Book review for American Political Thought, 13.2, 2024.
“Forced to be Free? America’s “Postliberals” on Freedom and Liberty.” In Far-Right Newspeak and the
“Nietzsche on Death and Dying.” For Political Theory of Death and Dying. Routledge, Spring 2021. Edited by Erin Dolgoy, Kimberly Hale, and Bruce Peabody.
“Rousseau’s Confessions: A Pattern for Living.” In The Rousseauian Mind. Routledge, 2019. Volume edited by Eve Grace and Christopher Kelly.
“Blind Injustice: Theorizing Anonymity and Accountability in Modern Democracies.” Polity, Vol. 48, Issue 3, July 2016. With Richard Boyd.
“The Philosopher Doth Protest Too Much: Rousseauian Enlightenment and the Rhetoric of Despair.” The Review of Politics, Vol. 75, Issue 3, Spring 2013.
“Xenophon’s Cyropaedia: Educating our Political Hopes.” The Journal of Politics, Vol. 74, Issue 3, July 2012.
Select Public-Facing Publications
“Charles Kesler Sees the Light,” August 25, 2022, for The Bulwark.
“The Decay at the Claremont Institute Continues,” April 21, 2022, for The Bulwark.
“Frederick Douglass’ 1876 Report,” January 27, 2022, for The Niskanen Center.
“As His Big Conspiracy Crumbles, Beattie’s Star Continues to Rise in Trumpworld,” January 18, 2022, for The Bulwark.
“Frederick Douglass Wanted Abraham Lincoln to be More Woke,” December 20, 2021, for The Unpopulist.
“The Limits of Liberal Science.” The Bulwark, November 4, 2021.
“Ivory Power.” The New Republic, October 26, 2021.
“The Claremont Institute’s Bogus Censorship Charge.” The Bulwark, October 18, 2021.
“What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute.” The Bulwark, July 23, 2021.
“The GOP’s Minoritarian Defense and Justificatory Schema.” The Constitutionalist, July 19, 2021.
“Sinister Syncopation: The New Conspiracism Meets the Intellectuals of the Reactionary Right.”The Constitutionalist, April 21, 2021.
“The Highbrow Conspiracism of the New Intellectual Right: A Sampling From the Trump Years.”Commentary for the Niskanen Center, April 19, 2021.
“We’re in an Extraconstitutional Limbo.” The Bulwark, January 11, 2021.
Revisiting Why Liberalism Failed. Commentary for the Niskanen Center, December 2020.
Part 2: Distorted Methods, Disorienting History: Deneen on the Past, Present, and Future
Part 3: Perversity Squared: Deneen’s “Individualist Anthropology” and Anti- Political Denialism, and “Aristopopulist” Delusions
Part 4: Patrick Deneen’s Twin Depletions of Education and Freedom
“What Now of the Authoritarian Threat.” The Constitutionalist, December 7, 2020.
“The Centrist Rush to Blame the Left for the Close Election Results.” The Bulwark, November 23, 2020. Damon Linker response, Cathy Young response.
“The Trouble with the ‘It’s Not Real Fascism’ Argument.” The Bulwark, October 31, 2020. Read Ross Douthat’s response here, and my brief reply to Douthat here.
“A Reply to the Claremont Institute’s Claim that ‘America is not Racist.’” Commentary for the Niskanen Center, June 26, 2020.
“Meet the Reocons.” Commentary for the Niskanen Center, February 20, 2020.
“What the Reactionary Right Gets Dead Wrong About Liberal Democracy.” The Bulwark, October 26, 2019.”
Invited Talks and Conference Presentations
“Forced to be Free: New Conceptions of Liberty Among America’s “Postliberals,”” The Language of Liberalism conference and working group, University of Notre Dame, December 2022.
“Voices of the Right: Political Conservatism in Academia,” Featured theme panel, American Political Science Association Conference, Montreal, September 22, 2022.
“The Elephant in the Room: The Promise and Pitfalls of Revising the History of American Conservatism in the Age of Trump.” Roundtable participant, American Political History Conference, Purdue University, June 2022.
“Liberalism and its Critics,” Roundtable discussion colloquium, Institute for Humane Studies, Washington, DC, April 2022.
“The Roots of Reactionary Conservatism,” The Vital Center podcast, August 4, 2021.
“What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute,” The Bulwark podcast, July 23, 2021.
“Conspiracism finds a home on the intellectual right,” The Democracy Works, May 10, 2021.
“Rousseau’s Confessions: A Life in the Camera Obscura” Discussion with Randal Hendrickson for PODOPTICON: a Politics, History, and Culture Podcast. (March 2021)
“Conservative Thought After Trump,” Discussion with the Niskanen Center’s Will Wilkinson on his “Model Citizen” podcast. November 20th, 2020.
“Conspiracy and Democracy: Misinformation, Anti-Liberalism, and Our Constitutional Future.” Discussion with Russell Muirhead at SUNY Geneseo (virtual). October 23, 2020.
“Liberalism and Its Critics,” Part of panel discussion of illiberalism on the American Right. Institute for Humane Studies. September 19, 2020.
“Nietzsche on Empathy’s Limits.” EMPATHIES Conference, European Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts. Basel, Switzerland. June, 2017.
“A Subterranean Tribute: Nietzsche Reads Rousseau.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2017.
“Political Science and Skepticism in Aeschylus’ Oresteia Trilogy.” Upcoming, Northeastern Political Science Association. Philadelphia, PA. 2015.
“Blind Injustice: Anonymity and Accountability in Modern Democracies.” With Richard Boyd, American Political Science Association. Washington, DC. 2014.
“Rhetoric, Character, and Prophecy: Zarathustra and the Vicar.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2014.
“Nietzsche’s Gospel of Fatality.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2013.
“Human Rights and the Evolution of Environmental Protections.” Guest lecture. Mid-South Model United Nations Conference. Rhodes College, Memphis TN. 2013.
“Why Nietzsche Loves his Destiny.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2012.
“Rhetoric of the Faith.” Northeastern Political Science Association. Philadelphia, PA. 2011.
“Nietzsche’s Rhetorical Self.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2011.
“Rousseau’s Autobiographical Mask.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2010.
“Nietzsche’s Complex Critique of Pity.” American Political Science Association. Toronto, ON. 2009.
“Judging Modernity’s Cultural Icons.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2009.
“On the Uses and Abuses of Compassion in Rousseau.” Southern Political Science Association. New Orleans, LA. 2009.
“Xenophon as Novelist: The Limitations of Cyrus and New Possibilities for Political Philosophy.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2008.
“Hobbes’ Rhetorical Legacy: ‘Scientism’ and Political Philosophy.” Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2008.
Professional Service
Director: Olson Scholars Program, School of International Service, American University
Referee for: Comparative Political Theory, American Political Science Review, Review of Politics, Rhetorica, Canadian Journal of Political Science.
Member: American Political Science Association, Midwest Political Science Association, Hannah Arendt Center.
Panel organizer: Midwest Political Science Association 2013, 2009; Southwestern Political Science Association 2008.
“Rousseau at 300” Symposium, Rhodes College, 2013; Midwest Political Science Association 2012, 2008.
Mentorship: SIS Freshman Mentorship Program, American University. 2014 and 2015, Pre-Graduate School Internship Experience, University of Texas. 2011, 2007.
Courses Taught
International Relations Theory. American University.
Perspectives on Ethics and Power. American University.
Social Science Theory – Olson Scholars Research Seminar. American University.
Perspectives on Nature and the Environment. American University, Georgetown University, and Rhodes College.
Democracy, Demagogues, and Dialectics (previously The Classical Quest for Justice). American University and Georgetown University.
Critique of Social Science (Undergraduate and Graduate). Georgetown University.
Political Theory Seminar for Honors Government Majors. Georgetown University.
Rousseau, Nietzsche, and the Politics of Cultural Change. Georgetown University.
Political Questions. Rhodes College.
Search 101 – Antiquity. Rhodes College.
Search 102 – Roman, Christian, and Islamic Thought. Rhodes College.
Ancient Philosophy and Literature. University of Texas.
Fellowships and Honors
Free Speech and Open Inquiry Grant. Institute of Humane Studies. 2020.
Hayek Fund for Scholars Award. Institute of Humane Studies. 2020.
University Continuing Fellowship. University of Texas. 2010.
Thomas Jefferson Fellowship. University of Texas. 2009.
Malcolm Macdonald Dissertation Fellowship. University of Texas. 2009.
Donors Trust Foundation Award. University of Texas. 2008.
David Bruton, Jr. Fellowship. University of Texas. 2008.
SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (3 years). Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada. 2006.
Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship. University of Alberta. 2003.
Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s. Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). 2003.
Duncan Alexander MacGibbon Medal in Political Science. University of Alberta. 2003Free Speech and Open Inquiry Grant. Institute of Humane Studies. 2020.
Languages
French: Near-native reading ability, high fluency.
German: Intermediate reading ability, fluency.
Greek: Beginners reading ability.
Spanish: High reading ability, intermediate fluency.