About
Maximillian Afnan is a political theorist whose research focuses on global democracy, deliberative theory, and the design of supranational governance structures. His work examines the structural conditions necessary for effective global public deliberation, including who should participate in global public discourse, where such deliberation should take place, and how the content of laws and rules can be made by reference to globally legitimate principles and values. In doing so he engages with both analytical political theory and non-Western traditions of thought. His publications include analyses of theories of global public reason and the role of individuals in the global public sphere.
In addition to teaching on LSE100, he has taught courses on contemporary and historical political thought in the department of Government at LSE, and has been an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London.
Awards:
LSE Teaching Excellence Award
Fellow, Higher Education Academy
ESRC PhD Studentship Award (LSE Doctoral Training Partnership) 2018-2023
Research
Expertise Details:
Global justice; Global democracy; Global governance; Non-Western philosophy
Publications:
Does Individual Participation in the Global Public Sphere Matter? (Res Publica, 2025) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11158-025-09712-3
Whither Global Democracy? (European Journal of Political Theory, 2025) https://doi.org/10.1177/14748851251337324
Global public reason: too thick or too thin? (Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2023), DOI: 10.1080/13698230.2023.2193930
Teaching
Engagement and impact
Reports and blogs:
‘Rethinking Adversarialism: Individuals, Communities, Institutions’ August 2020
LSE Religion and Global Society Blog
‘Values in International Cooperation: Scoping Study’ December 2019
Report Comissioned by the British Council (with Mathias Koenig-Archibugi)