Francis Cheneval

Francis Cheneval is a Full Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Zurich's Department of Philosophy. His office is located at Zollikerstrasse 117, Room ZOA-2-215, in Zurich, Switzerland. He teaches various courses including Political Authority and Coercion, Political Philosophy, and Political Systems and Theories. Cheneval maintains consultation hours every Wednesday during lecture periods from 16:15-18:00 online by appointment.

Cheneval's research focuses on fundamental questions in political philosophy, particularly examining the theoretical foundations of democracy, property rights, and the normative challenges of European and multilateral integration. His work explores justice frameworks and historical perspectives on political thought, with special emphasis on how democratic principles can be applied across multiple sovereign entities. His influential concept of 'demoicracy'—governance by multiple peoples rather than a single demos—provides a framework for understanding democratic legitimacy in transnational contexts like the European Union.

His recent publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output across multiple formats including academic journals, book chapters, newspaper articles, and working papers. Cheneval's research spans theoretical political philosophy while maintaining strong connections to contemporary political challenges, particularly regarding European integration, sovereignty in the digital age, and intergenerational justice. His work shows a clear trajectory connecting historical political thought with current democratic challenges.

Cheneval co-authors the 'Multilateral Democracy' blog at the London School of Economics and has edited works including 'Citizenship in Segmented Societies' with Mónica Ferrin. He has also published the book 'The Government of the Peoples: On the Idea and Principles of Multilateral Democracy' (Palgrave, 2011), which develops his theoretical framework for understanding governance across multiple democratic communities.