Anton Jäger

Anton Jäger is a Departmental Lecturer in the History of Political Thought and Political Theory at University College, University of Oxford. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2020) and previously served as a Wiener-Anspach Fellow at Université Libre de Bruxelles, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Catholic University of Leuven, and Cornell University. His research focuses on the interplay between capitalism and democracy, with a specialization in 19th-21st century political thought and populism studies.

• B.A. in Politics & Philosophy, University of Essex (2012)
• MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History, University of Cambridge (2015)
• PhD in Political Thought, University of Cambridge (2020)

His research explores how capitalist systems shape political agency and ideology, with notable work on American Populism, transnational populism debates, and the historical evolution of democratic thought. He has authored Hyperpolitik: Extreme Politisierung Ohne Politische Folgen (2023), analyzing modern political polarization and digital-age activism.

Publications highlight trends in populism’s conceptualization, the intersection of republicanism and Caesarism, and the historical roots of contemporary political movements. His articles span History of Political Thought, American Political Thought, and New Left Review.

Jäger advises one PhD student, Luke Williams, and contributes to academic discourse via writings for New Left Review and Jacobin. He currently holds a concurrent postdoctoral fellowship at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.