Simon Luo

I am a political theorist and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Civics Initiative.

My research and teaching interests include comparative political theory (with a focus on China), modern and contemporary political theory, democratic theory, Marxism, critical theory, theories of emotions and memories. My current book project investigates the uses and abuses of memories of the Cultural Revolution in intellectual and political debates in the post-Mao China (1976-now). By tracing the genealogy of Cultural Revolution memories in post-Mao China, the book project demonstrates how political actors holding different ideological positions make the Cultural Revolution a usable past as they articulate different visions of China’s political future. By so doing, the book project analyzes how the past is useful for democratic and antidemocratic politics in a rapidly changing society, and how narratives of a revolutionary historical event constitute a repertoire of political knowledge for the public sphere.

My peer-reviewed articles have been published by European Journal of Political Theory and Global Intellectual History. I am a frequent contributor to public political discussions in both English and Chinese. My Chinese op-ed articles have appeared on The Paper, Initium Media, CNPolitics, iAmElection, Polis, Jiemian, and other outlets. In English, my public writing has been featured by Democracy Seminar and Palladium Magazine.

I hold a Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University, Bloomington, an M.A. in Politics from NYU, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Tsinghua University.