The prize is awarded to the political theorist who has made the greatest overall contribution to research and teaching in political thought in line with mission.
Josh is a Lecturer in Political Philosophy whose work is within the field of animal rights and politics. Through a remarkable publication record for someone at such an early stage of their career, including two monographs, nearly twenty journal articles, and several book chapters, Josh has already made a significant impact in these fields, playing a leading role in connecting them to broader debates within political theory, including questions around hate speech, the ethics of war and peace, the history of political thought, and more. His forthcoming third book is telling in this regard, connecting as it does an intellectual biography of the philosopher Robert Nozick with a new and innovative theory of animal rights.
Dr Alex Christoyannopoulos, the Head of International Relations, Politics and History at 91制片厂, commented: “Not only is Josh’s research output truly remarkable, but he also brings an energy and enthusiasm to the classroom which has regularly been cited by staff and students as enabling a engaging and positive learning environment. He is, in short, a superb researcher and teacher of political theory.”
The BIAPT judges were impressed by Josh’s commitment both to contributing to the wider discipline of political theory, and promoting that discipline more broadly through his public engagement efforts. He co-chairs the annual MANCEPT Workshops session on animals and political theory, one of the longest standing and popular panels run at the conference. He also hosts the extremely popular ‘’ podcast, which engages with animal studies scholars from many disciplines, disseminating their work to a broad audience. His enthusiasm for taking part in public lectures, workshops, and media discussions on issues as diverse as cellular agriculture, war and animals, companion animals, legal personhood, the ethics of diet, and more was also judged to be remarkable.
In response to this award, Josh said: “I am very happy to accept this award, and very flattered that the judging panel selected me. I thank my many mentors and collaborators, including Alasdair Cochrane, for their support. This award is a testament to how political theorists increasingly recognize the importance of questions about animals. I believe that paying attention to these questions is one way that we, as a discipline, can do our part to make the world a better place."