Biography

I am a Ph.D. candidate in political theory. Prior to entering UCLA, I received my BA in international relations from the University of Tokyo, Japan. My research interests include democratic theory, performativity, narratives of defeat and failure, antiwar pacifism, and postwar Japanese political thought. My dissertation examines political founding after defeat with a focus on debates surrounding the legitimacy of Japan’s postwar constitution, especially its pacifist clause, Article 9. I also work on memory, apology, and mourning in politics.

My article, “Rousseau’s Lawgiver and Nascent Societies: Rethinking “Contingency” in Agonistic Democracy” is forthcoming in Polity (2025).

From 2022-2023, I served as an assistant editor for the journal Political Theory.

Research Interests

Political Theory

Graduate Advisors

Joshua Foa Dienstag