CURRICULUM VITAE
MARSHALL PIERCE
Doctoral Candidate | University of Chicago
DOCTORAL STUDIES
University of Chicago, 2022 – present
Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science (subfield: Political Theory)
Dissertation Committee: John P. McCormick and Lisa Wedeen (chairs), Jennifer Pitts
M.A., Political Science, summa cum laude (2024)
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Portland State University, 2022
B.A., Liberal Studies, summa cum laude
Minors: Philosophy and French
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-Reviewed Articles
“Machiavelli’s Divided City: Ambition, Negation, and the Counterpower of the Plebs.” Machiavelliana, vol. IV: 2025.
“Symposium: Gabriele Pedullà’s On Niccolò Machiavelli: The Bonds of Politics.” With John P. McCormick, Agneska Bloch, Sabrina Marasa, and Gabriele Pedullà. History of European Ideas, vol. 50, no. 4: 2024.
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND GRANTS
2026
François Furet Travel Grant (Chicago France Center at the University of Chicago)
Research Residency, International Institute of Research at the University of Chicago (Paris)
Bienen Research Award (University of Chicago Department of Political Science)
2025
Anderson Family Prize for Best M.A. Thesis in Political Science (University of Chicago Department of Political Science)
Joseph Cropsey Prize for Best M.A. Thesis in Political Philosophy and Theory (University of Chicago Division of Social Sciences)
Travel Research Grant (The Pozen Family Center for Human Rights)
2024
Exchange Fellowship, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris)
Research Residency, International Institute of Research at the University of Chicago (Paris)
A. and N. Janco Travel Award (University of Chicago Social Sciences Division)
2023
Graduate Research Scholarship (The Ford Family Foundation)
Travel Research Grant (The Pozen Family Center for Human Rights)
2022
Graduate Research Scholarship (The Ford Family Foundation)
SELECTED CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION AND PRESENTATIONS
2026
“‘The Only Concrete Pedagogic Movement’: Antonio Gramsci and the Politics of Pedagogy.” American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Conference. Boston, MA (September, 2026).
“‘Autonomy and Articulation’: Antonio Gramsci and the Birth of Council Democracy in Italy.” The Midwestern Political Science Association (MPSA) Annual Conference. Chicago, IL (April 22-24, 2026).
“‘The Only Concrete Pedagogic Movement’: Antonio Gramsci and Council Democracy.” The University of Chicago Transnational History Workshop. Chicago, IL (March 11, 2026).
“‘The Only Concrete Pedagogic Movement’: Antonio Gramsci and Council Democracy.” Stanford University Graduate Conference in Political Theory. Stanford, CA/ (February 5-7, 2026).
2025
“Machiavelli’s Divided City: Plebeian Counterpower and the Gramscian ‘Modern Prince.’” International Machiavelli Society Annual Conference. The University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center. Paris, France (December 11-13, 2025).
“Enduring Upheaval: Hannah Arendt, Antonio Gramsci, and the Unmaking of Council Democracy.” The Association for Political Theory (APT) Annual Conference. Loyola University. Chicago, IL (November 6-8, 2025).
“Autonomy and Articulation: The Making and Unmaking of Council Democracy in Interwar Italy.” The University of Chicago Political Theory Workshop. Chicago, IL (April 21, 2025).
“Redeeming the Lost Foundation: Arendtian Council Democracy Between Liberation and Freedom.” The Columbia University Graduate Conference in Political Theory. New York, NY (February 28, 2025).
2024
“The Critical Political Philosophy of Miguel Abensour: Evaluation and Legacy.” Book Salon for Martin Breaugh and Paul Mazzocchi, eds. The Politics of Emancipation: A Miguel Abensour Reader (New York: SUNY Press, 2024). The University of Chicago. Chicago, IL (October 30, 2024).
“Sotto Ombra di Bene: Plebeian Democracy and the Bene Comune in Machiavelli’s Discourses.” World Multidisciplinary Conference on Republics and Republicanism. Venice International University. Venice, Italy (May 24-26, 2024).
“Recovering Contingency: Historiographic Method and the Force of Counterfactual History.” Book Salon for Gabrielle Pedullà, On Niccolò Machiavelli (New York: Columbia University Press, 2023). The University of Chicago. Chicago, IL.
TEACHING, SERVICE, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Instructor of Record
2026
PLSC20300: Building Popular Power: Social Movements, Democracy, and the Political Imagination. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Winter 2026.
Teaching Assistance
2026
PLSCxxxx: Interpretive Methods in the Social Sciences. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Winter 2026. Instructor: Dr. Lisa Wedeen.
2025
LLSO28040: Introduction to Law, Letters, and Society. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Fall 2025. Instructor: Dr. David Lebow.
SOSC15200: Classics of Social and Political Thought III. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Spring 2025. Instructor: Dr. Gary Herrigel.
SOSC15200: Classics of Social and Political Thought II. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Winter 2025. Instructor: Dr. Matthew Landauer.
PLSC27216: Machiavelli’s Political Thought. University of Chicago. Chicago, IL. Winter 2025. Instructor: Dr. John P. McCormick.
Conference Organizing and Events
2026
Gramsci 100: Fascism, Interregnum, Democracy. December 16-17, 2026. Keynotes: Peter D. Thomas; Camila Vergara. Primary Organizer.
The University of Chicago Political Theory Workshop. Academic Year 2026-2027. Graduate Student Coordinator.
2025
The University of Chicago Political Theory Workshop. Academic Year 2025-2026. Graduate Student Coordinator.
Re-Visioning Politics: Theorizing Liberation in Crisis.The University of Chicago Graduate Conference in Political Theory. April 12-13, 2025. Keynotes: Wendy Brown; Camila Vergara. Primary Organizer.
LANGUAGES
English: Native Speaker
French: Oral Proficiency and Advanced Textual Fluency
Italian: Basic Oral Proficiency with Academic and Professional Reading Certification
REFERENCES
Dr. Lisa Wedeen, Mary R. Morton Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago. lwedeen@uchicago.edu
Dr. John P. McCormick, Karl J. Weitraub Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago. jpmccorm@uchicago.edu