Ian MacMullen is a political theorist whose primary research and teaching interests lie in the politics of education, citizenship, and/or religious and cultural pluralism. He is the author of two books. Civics Beyond Critics: Character Education in a Liberal Democracy (Oxford Political Theory series, Oxford University Press, 2015) explores the ways in which civic education in a liberal democracy could and should shape children’s values, beliefs, preferences, habits, identities, and sentiments. Faith in Schools? Autonomy, Citizenship, and Religious Education in the Liberal State (Princeton University Press, 2007) articulates a vision of liberal government in a multireligious society through a consideration of the fundamental principles of public education policy. Ian’s articles have been published in leading journals including the Journal of Political Philosophy, Journal of Politics, Theory and Research in Education, and Journal of Social Philosophy.
Ian’s current research includes two main projects. One is an analysis of the concept of “post-truth” or “post-factual” politics (of the type that is often said to exist in the contemporary United States and United Kingdom). The other project explores the relational costs that are incurred when a law is enforced against people who do not, given their particular beliefs and values, have reason to endorse that law.
Ian came to the University of Pennsylvania from Duke, where – in addition to his faculty appointment in Political Science – he was Assistant Vice Provost in the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) and led OUE’s Division of Intellectual Community. Before Duke, Ian was a tenured Associate Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University and his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University in his native England.