Giovanni Ruocco is Associate Professor in History of Political Thought at the Department of Political Science, Sapienza University of Rome, where he has achieved qualification as Full Professor. He teaches courses on Political Thought of Colonization and Decolonization and History of Political Thought, and until the 2024-2025 academic year taught Democracy and Critique of Contemporary Societies. His research focuses on postcolonial criticism, race and racialization, Western thought, democracy studies, and urban informality. Ruocco examines how Western political thought constructs the 'other' through colonial discourse, analyzing the historical development of racialization from early modernity through 19th-20th century race doctrines to contemporary critical historiography. His work interrogates the relationship between Western civilization and other cultures, exploring how this relationship influences Western self-representation and legitimizes global colonial hegemony. His recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in postcolonial studies, with increasing focus on the colonial foundations of Western thought. The 2025 manual with Giuseppe Ricotta represents a culmination of his work on postcolonial criticism. His scholarship consistently bridges historical analysis with contemporary political concerns, particularly regarding racism, identity construction, and democratic theory. The recurring themes across his work include boundaries, otherness, and the politics of knowledge production. Ruocco serves on editorial committees for journals Storia del pensiero politico and Scienza e Politica , and is part of the Sapienza research lab on commons and urban regeneration (Lab ComCon). He has edited four volumes on the idea of the people in modern and contemporary political thought (2011-2024) and published a significant work on Mosca and race doctrines (2017). As a member of the Doctoral School in Political Studies and various academic committees, he plays an active role in shaping political science education at Sapienza University.
