Amir Fleischmann

I study democratic theory and am intersted in the relationship between democracy and the question of property redistribution (or, material equality). For thousands of years, democratic theorists expected that democracy would lead to redistribution of power and property. Because the poor are always in the majority, it would seem natural that they would vote for property redistribution, should they get the chance. With democracy ascendant, however, this has not come to pass. I'm interested in understanding why that's the case and theorizing how "a constitution under which the poor rule" (to borrow Aristotle's phrase) might look. My work draws on continental political thought, Marxism, poststructuralism, and postcolonial theory.

In addition to my scholarship, I am a community activist. I have been an officer in our union (GEO 3550) for three years, am a member of Canada's New Democratic Party, and am actively engaged in Ann Arbor politics. Recently, I helped pass a change to the city's Early Leasing Ordinance to stop landlords from pressuring tenants to renew their leases before they're ready. I've written articles for Jacobin magazine and the Michigan Daily. In my activism, I do my best to apply the teachings of Political Theory.