Jodi Dean

Jodi Dean is Professor of Politics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she has been a faculty member since 1993. She is affiliated with the Department of Politics within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and her scholarly work spans contemporary and modern political theory, communism, digital media, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and political responses to climate change.

• Institution: Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• Department: Politics
• Rank: Professor
• Email: jdean@hws.edu

Dean’s research interests are deeply interdisciplinary, combining continental philosophy, media theory, and radical political critique. Her work critically engages with democracy, neoliberalism, digital culture, and the possibilities of collective political action in the 21st century. She is particularly known for retheorizing communism as a viable political horizon and analyzing the role of digital platforms in shaping contemporary subjectivities and publics.

Her publications reveal a strong thematic focus on ideology, technology, and collective agency. From Blog Theory to Crowds and Party, her work traces the transformation of political engagement in networked societies. She frequently draws on Lacanian psychoanalysis and Marxist theory to critique liberal democratic frameworks and explore alternatives grounded in solidarity and emancipation.

Jodi Dean is actively involved in the academic community as co-editor of the Digital Barricades book series (Pluto Press) and co-director of the Radical Critical Theory Circle. She was formerly co-editor of Theory and Event. She is a member of the American Political Science Association, the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities, and the Law and Society Association.

• Co-editor, Digital Barricades (book series, Pluto Press)
• Co-director, Radical Critical Theory Circle
• Former co-editor, Theory and Event

She has also contributed to public intellectual life through lectures and engagements with activist projects such as The Natural History Museum in Stockholm. While no formal list of advisees is provided, her influence extends through her extensive publications and editorial roles. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Princeton University.