James Swenson

James Swenson is a Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University. He specializes in 18th-century literature and intellectual history, with a focus on Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Revolutionary cultural policies. His work also spans 20th-century critical theory, including translations of key texts by Lacan, Balibar, and Rancière. He teaches courses on French cinema, literary theory, and Enlightenment thought. Swenson earned an A.B. from Brown University and an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

His research explores Rousseau’s influence on the French Revolution, structuralism vs. historicism, and economic theorization in the Enlightenment. He has published books such as On Jean-Jacques Rousseau Considered as One of the First Authors of the Revolution (1999) and translated significant works like Masses, Classes, Ideas by Étienne Balibar. His courses include 'Revolutionary Culture' and 'Major Currents of French Thought.'

Swenson’s recent scholarship engages with Revolutionary cultural initiatives, Saint-Just’s political projects, and comparative studies of Enlightenment rationality. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary critical theory, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.