Elizabeth Cohen

Elizabeth Cohen is the Maxwell Professor of United States Citizenship in the Department of Political Science at Boston University. She serves as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Political Science. Her expertise spans citizenship studies, immigration policy, democratic theory, and political philosophy. Cohen holds a BA from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. from Yale University, with visiting scholar appointments at Princeton University, Russell Sage Foundation, and New York University's Wagner School of Public Service.

Her research focuses on the intersection of time, citizenship, and democratic justice. Notable works include Illegal: How America’s Lawless Immigration Regime Threatens Us All (2020) and The Political Value of Time: Citizenship, Duration, and Democratic Justice (2018), which won the 2019 APSA Best Book in Migration and Citizenship. Her scholarship explores themes like temporary protections, citizenship rights, and the legal and ethical dimensions of immigration.

Cohen’s op-eds have appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Politico, bridging academic research with public discourse. Her recent work addresses climate migration, refugee policies, and the evolving legal frameworks of citizenship in federal systems.

• Awards: 2019 APSA Best Book in Migration and Citizenship
• Labs/Teams: Engages with interdisciplinary research networks on citizenship and migration studies