Associate Professor of Political Science Richard Gilman-Opalsky named the University Scholar

Richard Gilman-Opalsky, associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, has been named University Scholar for 2018. The award, considered the university system’s highest faculty honor, recognizes outstanding teaching and scholarship. Only one faculty member receives the annual award at UIS.

Professor Gilman-Opalsky is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of political philosophy and social theory. He specializes in the history of political philosophy, continental and contemporary social theory, Marxism, capitalism, autonomist politics, postmodern philosophy, critical theory, global uprisings and social movements.

He has published a prolific record of scholarship with major university and commercial presses, and his work has been widely reviewed in professional journals and activist circles around the world.

Since coming to UIS, he has authored four books: “Unbounded Publics: Transgressive Public Spheres, Zapatismo, and Political Theory;” “Spectacular Capitalism: Guy Debord and the Practice of Radical Philosophy;” “Precarious Communism: Manifest Mutations, Manifesto Detourned;” and “Specters of Revolt: On the Intellect of Insurrection and Philosophy from Below.”

Additional publications include his co-edited volume, “Against Capital in the Twenty-First Century: A Reader of Radical Undercurrents,” published earlier this year, and numerous journal articles and book chapters. His work has been translated and published in Spanish and Greek editions. External reviews of Gilman-Opalsky’s scholarship attest to its impact and importance, as do the many invitations he receives to lecture throughout the U.S., Europe and most recently China.

“Professor Gilman-Opalsky inspires his students by exploring contentious dialogues about the power of everyday people, a theme that also runs through all of his research. His outstanding teaching is evidenced in remarkable student evaluations and in letters from his colleagues and students. In his integrative teaching and writing, Gilman-Opalsky exemplifies the ideal of the teacher-scholar,” said his nominators.

At UIS, Gilman-Opalsky has designed and taught courses including Introduction to Political Philosophy, Political Ideas and Ideologies, Democratization and the Public Sphere, Globalization and the Future of Democracy, Marxist Philosophy and Postmodern Theory: Politics and Possibility.

Gilman-Opalsky earned his doctorate in political science from The New School for Social Research in Manhattan, New York in 2006. He also earned his master’s degree from The New School for Social Research and earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hofstra University in Long Island, New York.

As University Scholar, Gilman-Opalsky will receive $15,000 a year for three years to support research and other scholarly activities. Faculty do not apply for this award; they are nominated by their peers. A committee of senior faculty makes the final selection.