Alex Prichard

Professor Alex Prichard is a leading scholar in International Political Theory at the University of Exeter, with a focus on anarchist thought and its intersections with Marxism and global ethics. As Director of Research for the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy and Anthropology, he bridges the College of Social Sciences and International Studies with innovative academic leadership roles, including Director of Postgraduate Research (2021-2022) and Director of Education (2018-2020) for Exeter's Politics department.

Education:

• PhD in International Relations from Loughborough University (2008)
• MSc Econ in International Relations (Theory) from Aberystwyth University (2003)
• MA Hons (by research) in International Relations from the University of Wollongong (2000)
• BA Hons in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University (1997)

His research interrogates the concept of anarchy in both International Relations and anarchist traditions, exemplified by a landmark ESRC-funded project (2016-2018) on anarchist constitutionalism with Professor Ruth Kinna. Their work challenges assumptions about anarchist governance, revealing systematic approaches to founding principles. This research has produced a monograph series via Manchester University Press and appears in top journals like Anarchist Studies, where he serves as Associate Editor since 2010.

Recent publications span anarchist theories of public goods provision (2022), Proudhon's 19th-century political philosophy (2024), and methodological critiques of IR theory's exclusion of anarchism (2011). His 2025 book Anarquismo maps anarchist thought to global political structures, while 2024 articles explore Proudhon's international political theory and Waltz's Kantian moral philosophy.

Scientific Awards:

• ISRF Mid-Career Fellowship (2023-2024)
• ESRC Transforming Social Science Award (2016-2018)

Prichard co-founded the PSA Anarchist Studies Network in 2005 and established the Contemporary Anarchist Studies monograph series in 2012. He engages in public discourse through podcasts, media appearances, and the Anarchy Rules research archive. His work intersects with the Global Systems Institute and aligns with SDGs on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.