Apply Visit
search
Alex Haskins

All Faculty

Alex Haskins, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations

Biography

Born in Okinawa, but a native of St. Louis, Dr. Haskins first discovered the field of political theory in college. His teaching and research interests in the field have been sustained over the years by a deeply felt need to grapple with the complex histories of imperialism, colonialism, and Christianity in the modern world--particularly in Africa and Asia--and what healing implications such grappling might have for global justice, economic development, religious pluralism, and regional peacebuilding. He is currently working on a manuscript on the global Black diaspora. 

Additionally, he has had the joy of leading study abroad, supervising, and mentoring student projects in Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Cyprus, and Kenya on topics including post-conflict local peacebuilding, heritage reclamation, gender justice and land rights advocacy, widow empowerment, and building non-profit capacity for refugee and migrant welfare. He welcomes students and collaborators with similar research and advocacy interests.

Education

The University of Chicago
Ph.D., Political Science, 2020
M.A., Political Science, 2015

Harvard University
M.T.S., Religion, Ethics and Politics and East Asian Religions, 2013

Bowdoin College
B.A., Government & Legal Studies and Asian Studies, 2011

Professional Training

Wheaton Graduate School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy
Trauma Certificate, 2026

Professional Affiliations

  • American Political Science Association (APSA)
  • Association for Political Theory (APT)
  • Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD)
  • Association for Asian Studies (AAS)

Areas of Expertise

  • History of Political Thought (Asian, European, and African diasporic)
  • Modern Political Thought
  • Global and Comparative Political Theory
  • Imperialism & Colonialism
  • International Law & Legal Thought
  • Religion & Politics

Publications

Book

Articles

  • Alex Haskins, “Leaders Fit for the Masses”: Du Bois and Japan’s Transnational Democratic Leadership,” Du Bois Review 21.1 (Spring 2024): 182-200. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X23000127
  • Alex Haskins, "Montesquieu's Paradoxical Spirit of Moderation: on the Making of Asian Despotism in De l'esprit des lois," Political Theory 46.6 (December 2018): 915-937. https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591718780215 

Reviews

Working Papers

  • “One Love” – The Politics of Collective Liberation for Black and Chinese Jamaicans in Hills of Hebron
  • “The New and Grand Career of Justice” – Frederick Douglass, Chinese Immigration, and Imperial Temptations
  • Toward a Buddhist Christianity – The Swamp, Priests, and Political Persecution in Shūsaku Endō’s Silence

Courses

(Regular Rotation)

  • African Politics (IR 346)
  • Black Political Thought (PSCI 324)
  • China Through the Ages (IR 323)
  • East Meets West (IR 364)
  • Environmental Politics (IR 318)
  • First Year Seminar: Resistance and the Good Life (CORE 101)
  • Immigration (PSCI 328)
  • International Law (IR 367)
  • Political Philosophy (PSCI 145)
  • Politics of Global Development (IR 315)
  • Senior Seminar (PSCI 494)
  • Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation (IR 359)

 

(Irregular Rotation or In Reserve)

  • Empire
  • Politics of the African Diaspora
  • Politics of the Caribbean
  • Spirit of the Laws
  • W.E.B. Du Bois

Favorites

  • Food: BBQ/Southern, Jamaican, Korean, Mexican
  • Media: anime/manga, fighting games, K-dramas, Marvel cinema
  • Music: R&B/Soul, Jazz, Chillhop/Lo-Fi, Reggaeton
  • Sports: Tennis, Ping-pong, Swimming, Baseball
  • Teas: jasmine, mint, oolong, lemon