Professor Duncan Kelly
- Deputy Head of Department
- Professor of Politics
- University Teaching Officer
Contact
Location
- Department of Politics and International Studies
- The Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP
About
I began my academic career in the Politics Department at the University of Sheffield before moving to Cambridge in 2007 to teach political theory. I have been with POLIS ever since, earning a promotion to Professor in October 2018. After serving as Professor of Political Thought and Intellectual History until mid-2025, I was elected Professor of Politics in July 2025.
Research
My research explores the history of modern political, economic, and artistic ideas, from the nineteenth century to the present. Currently working across three main areas. First, modernist art, art history, and modern politics, from the 1860s to the 1960s. Second, global histories of political theory between the revolutions of 1848 and the First World War. Third, the relationships between wartime, planetary history, and the contemporary crisis politics of the Anthropocene.
Publications
Selected publications
Teaching and supervision
Undergraduate Teaching 2026-2027
- POL1 - The Modern State and its Alternatives
Post-graduate supervision interests
I am keen to supervise projects in line with my research interests. For a list of recent and current PhD students I have been principal supervisor for, see my CV.