Jonathan Leader Maynard –
B.A. (London), M.Phil. (Oxon)
College Lecturer in Politics and International
Relations, St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford
D.Phil. Candidate in Politics, University College,
University of Oxford
About Me
I
am a doctoral candidate in Politics and a college lecturer in Politics and
International Relations at the University of Oxford. From the 1 October 2013 I
will serve as the Rank-Manning Junior Research Fellow in Social Sciences at New
College, University of Oxford.
My primary current research
is on the ideological foundations of ‘atrocities’ – the many horrific forms of
mass violence targeted against civilians, including but not limited to
genocide. My work aims to produce a general cross-case account of the role of
ideology in atrocities, informed by the latest methods and research on both
phenomena. I draw on a range of disciplines in producing this theory, including
genocide studies, International Relations, political theory, political
sociology, intellectual history, social psychology and social epistemology. My
theory is substantiated in my doctoral thesis through case studies of the Nazi
Holocaust, Stalinist violence in the Soviet Union, Allied aerial bombing in
World War Two, and a number of recent atrocities. I ultimately intend to
publish this research as a major monograph – Ideologies and Mass Violence: The Justificatory Mechanics of Deadly
Atrocities, which will detail not only my general theory of the role of
ideology in atrocities, but also the implications this theory has for
international atrocity/genocide prevention efforts. I have secondary research interests in a number of areas related to this
project: including philosophical accounts of evil, international normative
theory, and the sociology of knowledge.
I
currently teach Oxford undergraduate students in the following PPE papers:
Theory of Politics, International Relations, International Relations in the Era
of the Cold War, and Sociological Theory.
I have a great interest in
communicating my research to non-specialist and non-academic audiences who
desire to understand genocide and other forms of horrific violence. Misspent
hours of my undergraduate and masters degrees as a competitive debater have
left me with a general interest in presentations and public speaking, as well
as enduring links to debating itself. I will serve as the Chief Adjudicator of
the World Universities Debating Championship in Malaysia in 2015.
Contact Details
I can be contacted at
jonathan.leadermaynard [at] politics.ox.ac.uk (forgive the anti-spam
presentation of this address).
You can also write to me at
Jonathan Leader Maynard, University College, The High
Street, Oxford, OX1 4BH.
My doctoral supervisor at
Oxford is Dr. Elizabeth
Frazer.
Curriculum Vitae
Qualifications
BA (First Class Honours), War
Studies and History, King’s College London (2008)
M.Phil. (Distinction),
Politics, University of Oxford (2010)
Academic Career
Non-Stipendiary Lecturer in
Politics and International Relations, St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford
(2011-2013)
Rank-Manning Junior Research
Fellow in Social Sciences, New College, University of Oxford (starting in
October 2013)
Publications
Academic
“A Map
of the Field of Ideological Analysis,” Journal
of Political Ideologies 18/3 (2013) [Forthcoming]
“Rethinking
the Role of Ideology in Mass Atrocities,” Terrorism
and Political Violence (2013) [Forthcoming]
“Ideology
and the Justification of Atrocities,” in Jennifer Welsh & Serena Sharma
(eds.), Operationalizing the
Responsibility to Prevent [Forthcoming]
“Liberal
and Illiberal Justifications of Mass Violence Against Civilians,” in Alan
Cromartie (ed.), Liberal Wars [Forthcoming]
Other
“A
doubtful genealogy,” The Oxonian Review
of Books, 15.3 (2011)
“Stalin’s
Genocides,” The Oxonian Review of Books, Orbits
(2011)
“What
is the Left for?,” The
Point, 5 (2011)
Working Papers
“Ethical
Theory and the Narrative of Political Realism” [with Alex Worsnip,
Yale University]
“Theories
of Genocide and Theories of Evil”
“The
Revolution is the Highest Law: Revolutionary Marxist Discourse on the Morality
of Ends and Means”
“Social
Psychology and the Explanation of Atrocities: A Critical Examination”