معرفی
Dr. Dan Paget is an Assistant Professor in Politics at the University of Sussex, School of Law, Politics and Sociology, where he serves as Principal Investigator of NEWREPUBLIC, a five-year €1.5 million project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) as a Starting Grant beginning in January 2026.
His research focuses on contemporary democratic and authoritarian ideologies, examining how democracy and autocracy are conceptualized, critiqued, and legitimized in political discourse. He specializes in political communication with particular emphasis on the role of mass rallies in political communication, especially in African contexts. Dr. Paget challenges conventional understandings of authoritarian populism by introducing the concept of 'elitist plebeianism' to describe how authoritarian leaders construct narratives of legitimacy that simultaneously emphasize leader superiority and connection to ordinary citizens.
Dr. Paget's principal site of research is Tanzania, where he has spent more than a decade chronicling political struggles. He has published extensively on Tanzania's leading opposition party, Chadema, and the authoritarian turn under Presidents Magufuli and Hassan. His research analyzes how authoritarian regimes construct narratives of legitimacy and how opposition movements develop effective mobilizing ideologies.
His scholarly work appears in leading journals including Journal of Democracy, Government and Opposition, and Democratization, with significant citations and media attention. His research has been cited over 300 times according to available metrics, with multiple articles receiving coverage in news outlets, policy sources, and academic platforms.
- Principal Investigator: NEWREPUBLIC (ERC Starting Grant, €1.5M, 2026-2031)
- British Academy Grant: 'Priming Republican Attitudes?' (2025-2027)
- ESRC Grant: 'Mythmaking, Mega-events, and Coercion' (External Fellow, 2025-2026)
At Sussex, Dr. Paget convenes 'Communicating Politics,' 'Contesting Authoritarianism,' and 'Authoritarianism and its Critics,' while contributing to 'Modern Political Thought' and Foundation Year teaching. He maintains regular office hours and actively seeks to connect his research with practitioners working on anti-authoritarian movements worldwide.
