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Can a political scientist specializing in political theory obtain a job in political philosophy?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Could someone with a PhD in political theory from a European political science department be competitive for positions in philosophy departments? Consider a candidate who has a few publications in top-10 specialist journals in moral/political philosophy but hasn't published in other areas of philosophy.

Interesting question, and I have no idea beyond the fact that some hiring departments may specify in their job ads that successful candidates should have a PhD in Philosophy.

Do any readers have any helpful insights?

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11 responses to “Can a political scientist specializing in political theory obtain a job in political philosophy?”

  1. Tenured now

    My sense is that in Europe, as in the UK, basically all political philosophers are often housed in political science rather than philosophy, including the ones who do very clearcut analytic political philosophy. If that’s the case, then I think you absolutely could, but you need to highlight this for hiring departments very clearly in your cover letter – I know this because I did my PhD outside of the US, but I don’t know whether folks who have always been in the US do. If, though, you are trained in political theory proper rather than analytic political philosophy, I am afraid that kind of move would probably be much harder. Good luck!

    Reply
  2. anon

    Could the OP clarify if the top 10 journals are the journals that make up the Leiter ranking of moral/political philosophy? Political science seems to have its own set of journals, and they are generally quite different from the ones on the Leiter list. If your publications are mostly in the latter domain, I’d say probably not.

    Reply
  3. Michael Kates

    I got a Ph.D. in Political Science (Political Theory) at a pretty good place in the U.S. and published my way into a Philosophy department (where I now have tenure). I also have a friend who did the same thing. So, although it’s definitely rare, it’s not out of the question. Good luck! (I enjoy life so much more in a Philosophy department.)

    Reply
  4. maybe

    I’ve seen it happen a few times.

    Reply
  5. OP

    Thanks everyone!
    @anon Yes, the former.

    Reply
  6. 3rd year PhD student

    Does the reverse ever happen? Can a holder of a philosophy Ph.D (who does political phil) get a job in a political science department doing political theory?

    Reply
  7. Polisci Prof Now

    I didn’t get one, but I was interviewed for multiple UK philosophy jobs after getting my PhD in theory (also in the UK).

    Reply
  8. Bill V.

    If you can show you can teach other philosophy classes besides political philosophy, even at the introductory level, it could improve your chances of being seen as “really a philosopher.” Most departments hire people in an AOS but also assign them teaching in other areas.
    To emphasize a point “Tenure Now” makes above, US departments generally don’t have any idea what goes on in European departments or graduate schools, so your cover letter needs to explain more than you might think.

    Reply
  9. Oxford D.Phil

    I did my D.Phil at Oxford, where many people working on analytic political philosophy go through the DPIR rather than the Philosophy Department. I’m still on the job market, applying to jobs in both philosophy and political science departments. For what it’s worth, my experience so far has been as follows:
    Philosophy departments in the UK/Europe have not batted an eye at the fact that my degree is in Politics rather than Philosophy. Many job ads even specify that candidates must hold a PhD in Philosophy “or a closely related discipline.” I’ve never been asked about the relevance of my degree in an interview for a UK/European position, and no one has given me any indication that it is seen as a problem.
    By contrast, philosophy departments in North America have consistently brought up the fact that my degree is in Politics rather than Philosophy and have asked me to comment on it. I get the impression that this is seen by committee members as a disadvantage–that I am really a political scientist presenting myself as a philosopher–despite the fact that I was trained in a department with a strong profile in analytic political philosophy, am pursing a research agenda that is squarely within analytic social and political philosophy, and have only ever published in philosophy journals, including generalist philosophy journals. So, in short, I don’t think it is a significant issue in a UK/European context, though I feel like it has really worked against me in a NA context.

    Reply
  10. Daniel Weltman

    @ 3rd year PhD student: yes, the reverse happens and it is much more common (albeit not very common in an absolute sense).

    Reply
  11. DB

    Crossover attempts may sometimes encounter resistance, but successful crossover occurs. On the one side, I’m a philosopher and my philosophy department recently made an offer to a UK person trained in Politics, and I’m a reference for some UK people trained in Politics. On the other side, two people doing political theory in our political science department were trained in philosophy.

    Reply

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