Erica Benner
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  • Be Like the Fox
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Academic

M.Phil, D.Phil, Oxford University
 

Positions
Oxford University, St Antony's College
London School of Economics 
Yale University, Fellow in Ethics and Political Philosophy


Recurring visiting faculty
Central European University
Stockholm School of Economics
LSE Ideas

Fellowships
Humboldt Fellow, Freie Universität Berlin

Faculty Fellow, Murphy Institute for Ethics, Tulane University
Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, Central European University


Subjects taught

Theory of Politics
Foundations of Social Thought
Debates in Sociology
Classical political theory
Feminist philosophy
International History
Concepts and theories of International Relations
Classics of Political Economy
Modern Ideologies
Ethics of Nationalism
Nationalism and War
Democracy and its discontents
Thucydides and Plato

Themes of recent invited lectures and talks    

Nationalism and democracy
Nationalism and war
Democratic corruption
Machiavelli and leadership

Free speech and democracy
Ancient lessons about war and democracy
What Machiavelli can tell us about politics today
Political speech and demagoguery

Recent and forthcoming 

  • June 2023, University of Cardiff, Wales. ‘Kant and Herder on Self-Determination’
  • May 2023, University of Copenhagen. Keynote lecture at conference on Nationalism and War: ‘National hyper-competition and the roots of democracy’
  • March 2023, Villa Vigoni, Italy. ‘Thucydides and Machiavelli’
  • January 2023: LSE Ideas. ‘Deep patterns in global politics’ and ‘Nationalism and modern empires’ 
  • May 2022: Elia University, Tbilisi, Georgia: ‘Can nationalism save democracy?’
  • May 2022: German University, Istanbul: ‘Do democracies need nationalism?’
  •   January 2022: Stockholm and Engelsberg, Sweden: Applied History and Global Order, ‘Thucydides and global order in the 21st century’
  •   September 2021: Ratiu Forum on Democracy in Turda/Cluj, Romania: speaker
  •   March 2021 (online): University of Chicago. Seminar, ‘Benner’s Machiavelli’
  •   February 2021 (online): Henan University, China. ‘National Self-Images’
  • October 2020: (online): Columbia University, NY. ‘Machiavelli today’
  • February 2020: Oxford, All Soul’s. ‘Ancient Lessons on War and Democracy’
  • January 2020: Uppsala University. ‘Does democracy need nationalism?’
  • November 2019: LSE. Debate on Nationalism and Liberalism

Select previous (past 12 years)
  • March 2011: Montreal, Renaissance Studies of America (RSA) Conference: ‘Machiavelli’s ironies'
  • April 2011: McGill University, Centre de recherche en éthique de l'Université de Montréal et McGill: presentation and discussion of my book, Machiavelli’s Ethics
  • March 2012: Tübingen University, Philosophy Faculty: ‘One’s own arms and virtú: Il principe chapters 12-14.’ Conference on Machiavelli organized by Ulrich Höffe.
  • March 2012: Washington D.C., RSA Conference: ‘Machiavelli’s Prince and the Greek theme of self-reforming tyrants’
  • September 2012: Oriel College, Oxford University: ‘Virtú, fortune, and the ironic structure of the Prince'
  • February 2013: Princeton University, Center for Human Values: ‘Machiavelli’s ironies: the language of praise and blame in the Prince’
  • March 2013:  Duke University, Kenan Institute for Ethics: ‘Ironic praise and critical judgement in the Prince'
  • April 2013:  Javeriana University, Cali, Colombia: ‘General standards and ironic advice in the Prince’. Keynote lecture at ‘Simposio: El Príncipe de Nicolás Maquiavelo 500 años después’
  • September 2013: Harvard University, Program on Constitutional Government: ‘Was Machiavelli a Realist?’
  • November 2013: Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna: ‘Realism and Ethics: Machiavelli on international relations'
  • December 2013: Columbia University, Italian Academy: ‘The necessity to be not-good: Machiavelli’s realism and foreign relations'
  • February 2014: University of Texas and Texas A & M: ‘Machiavelli and Plato
  • April 2014: University of New Hampshire: Inaugural Lecture for new Program in the Humanities on my book, Machiavelli’s Prince: A New Reading.
  • April 2014: SUNY Stony Brook University, Alfonse d’Amato lecture: ‘Machiavelli’s Ideal Statesman'
  • September 2014: Central European University, Budapest: ‘Machiavelli on the necessity for good faith'
  • October 2015: Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona: ‘What’s religious about civil religion? Machiavelli on the laws, morality, and the heavens'
  • February 2017: Central European University, Budapest. 'Demagogues and Citizens,' Public lecture for the Institute of Advanced Study
  • March 2017: How to Academy, London. 'Be a Fox: Machiavelli and Leadership.' Lecture on the publication of my book, Be Like the Fox
  • April 2017: University of Debrecen, Department of British and American Studies. 'Demagoguery, Democracy, and Political Responsibility,' public lecture
  • May 2017: Central European University, 'Beyond Demagoguery? The Contemporary Crisis of Political Communication,' CEU President’s Seminar Public Lecture Series
  • October 2017: Central European University, 'How to write a non-academic book if you're an academic', Public lecture on how I wrote Be Like the Fox
  • March 2018: Palazzo Medici-Ricciardi, Florence. 'Three Forms of Democratic Corruption'
  • March 2018: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy: 'Machiavellian advice for leaders (and citizens)'
  • April 2018: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Political Theory Workshop: 'How realistic is political realism?'
  • April 2018: University of Scranton, Schemel Forum. 'Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli on Challenges to Democracy,' Public lecture
  • May 2018: Oxford Italian Association, St Hugh’s College. 'Machiavelli's Handbook for Citizens'
  • June 2018: Engelsberg Seminar, Sweden. ‘Plato and Socrates on Knowledge Without Authority,’ lecture at conference on ‘Knowledge and Information'
  • October 2018: Heidelberg University. Keynote lecture, Conference on ‘Crisis and Renewal in Political Thought'
  • October 2018: Frankfurt University. ‘National Identity in Marx’s Theory of History,’ conference on ‘G.A. Cohen’s Karl Marx’s Theory of History'
  • June 2019: Engelsberg Seminar, Sweden. ‘Thucydides on history and democracy,’ lecture at conference on ‘The Uses of History’
 
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  • About
  • Writing
  • Be Like the Fox
  • Nationalism
  • Machiavelli
  • Teaching
  • Media
  • Contact