Niklas Plaetzer
Niklas Plaetzer is a PhD candidate for a double degree in Political Theory at CEVIPOF –Sciences Po and the University of Chicago. His supervisors are Frédéric Gros (CEVIPOF) and Linda Zerilli University of Chicago). His research interests include democratic theory, constitutionalism, critical theory, and the politics of social movements. In his dissertation, Niklas is developing a democratic theory of the “insurgent institution” which emphasizes the dialectics between popular protest and the language of rights beyond the traditional framework of state sovereignty, drawing on the thought of Hannah Arendt, Claude Lefort, and Édouard Glissant, among others. His latest publications underline the role of the historical narrative that underlies normative theory particularly with respect to postcolonial thought and ongoing debate in comparative political theory.
Thesis working title: Constitution Fever: from Insurgent Moments to Institutional Authority (L'institution insurgeante : la tradition cachée du constitutionnalisme en mouvement)
Thesis supervisor: Frédéric Gros.
