Cillian McBride

Dr. Cillian McBride is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast's School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. His research focuses on contemporary political theory, particularly the ethics and politics of recognition, republicanism, and democratic theory. He has supervised multiple PhD students, including Michael Whitten, Charlene McKibben, and Fabian Schuppert, exploring topics like populism, authenticity in musical experience, and gender politics. His work bridges analytical and critical theory traditions, emphasizing themes like social equality, freedom, and civility. Key publications include studies on deliberative democracy, recognition in republican frameworks, and authenticity. McBride is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Social and Political Philosophy and has contributed to interdisciplinary projects, such as the 'Randomly Selected "Politicians"' initiative exploring post-conflict democracy.

Research Interests:

• Politics of recognition and social equality
• Republicanism and modern freedom concepts
• Democratic theory and deliberative practices
• Critical theory applications

Key Projects:

• Principal Investigator in the 2014-2016 project on randomly selected politicians in post-conflict democracies
• Contributions to understanding recognition's role in whistleblowing, crime, and musical authenticity