I am an Assistant Professor of Political Theory (with tenure) in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. My work explores the history of nineteenth and twentieth century political thought. I am interested in how ideas of democracy, freedom, and revolution travel across cultures and are adapted by thinkers engaged in political struggle, both in and outside "the West." 

My book, The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024), is the winner of the 2025 Ralph J. Bunche Award. It is the first to introduce Vietnamese political thought to the field of political theory, and shows how Vietnamese anticolonial thinkers offer new perspectives on dignity and shame. 

My academic articles appear in journals such as Political Theory, Theory & Event, Philosophy and Global Affairs, European Journal of Political Theory, The Review of Politics, Polity, New Political Science, The European Legacy, and Montaigne Studies. Some of these articles are the first to introduce Vietnamese political thought to the field of political theory. My public writings have appeared in the BBC, Aeon, Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, and elsewhere. Click here for a list of publications. 

My teaching combines multi-methods and interdisciplinarity to engage students from diverse backgrounds. In my courses, students explore texts and trends that span impactful historical moments to pressing contemporary international issues and their ethical dimensions. We do this from a diverse range of cultural and ideological perspectives. We give special attention to how such perspectives are informed by historical memory, hegemonic and marginalized perspectives, and future hopes. Doing so positions my classes as learning experiences that challenge students’ assumptions and provide tools to advance cultural competence and globalized leadership skills.

Click here for my CV.