Postdoctoral Researcher at the London School of Economics
In cooperation with Prof. Dr. Rainer Forst
Duration of stay: April – September 2025
Dr. Elisabeth Theresia Widmer is a postdoctoral researcher, specializing in the theoretical frameworks that have shaped what is colloquially called “social democracy” (though she prefers the term communitarian republicanism). Her primary research interest lies in what she calls the “left-Kantian” tradition of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This current is heavily influenced by Kant’s philosophy but replaces his individualist notion of freedom with a communitarian concept of freedom inspired by Marx. Although her work focuses on historical authors, she engages with them in dialogue with contemporary political theorists, particularly neo-Marxists (such as Gerald A. Cohen), neo-Republicans (such as Philip Pettit), and Critical Theorists (such as Rainer Forst).
Research project title:
Left-Kantianism
Publications (selection):
Book
2023. Left-Kantianism in the Marburg School, De Gruyter
Articles
2025. “Kant’s Republican Account of Citizenship,” Ratio.
2025. “Johann Benjamin Erhard on Economic Injustice,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy.
2024. “Hermann Cohen’s Neo-Kantian Socialism,” Kantian Review.
Events:
May 27: Lecture “Kant on Republicanism, Economically Stratified” at the colloquium of Prof. Rainer Forst