Professor Sue Mendus

Profile

Biography

Sue Mendus is Morrell Professor Emerita of Political Philosophy. She has published widely on topics in modern and historical political philosophy, with a special emphasis on the concept of toleration. In 2004 she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, and from 2008 to 2012 she was Vice President (Social Sciences) of the Academy. She is a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

Research

Overview

Sue’s current research falls into two areas: first, the relationship between terrorism and religion and, second, the problem of political integrity. Her work on terrorism and religion is to be found in her 2007 Freilich Lectures, which were delivered at the Australian National University under the title, Religious Toleration in an Age of Terrorism. The lectures can be found here:

http://www.anu.edu.au/hrc/freilich/events/2007/mendus_lectures.php

and also in her more recent article,  ‘Professor Waldron Goes to Washington’, which is  published in Criminal Law and Philosophy Vol 6, No. 3, 2012.

Sue’s research on political integrity was first published in her 2009 book, Politics and Morality and also in several articles including:

‘Private Faces in Public Places’ in M. Kramer and C. Grant (eds) The Legacy of H L A Hart, Oxford, University Press, 2008.

This aspect of Sue’s research led to her being invited to give evidence as an expert witness to the Leveson Inquiry on the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press. Her written and oral evidence to the Inquiry are to be found here:

http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/hearing/2012-07-16am/

Publications

Selected publications

Sue’s more recent publications include:

Religious Toleration in an Age of Terrorism, ANU, 2008

Politics and Morality, Polity Press, 2009

‘Life’s Ethical Symphony’ in British Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2008.

‘Religious Tolerance and Religious Violence’ in Bijdragen, International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, Vol. 71, No. 4, 2010, pp. 426-37.

Democracy: the Nightmare or the Noble Dream’, Democracy and Fundamentalism, Aulis Aarnio  (ed), Tampere University Press, pp.17-27, 2010

Tolerance’ in Timothy Garton-Ash (ed) Liberalisms in East and West, Oxford 2011, pp. 65-84

‘Professor Waldron Goes to Washington’ in Criminal Law and Philosophy, Vol. 6, No. 3, 2012

Sue has also contributed to Multiculturalism Bites. Her contribution is to be found at:

http://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/multiculturalism-bites-audio/id449122394

External activities

Memberships

Vice President, British Academy 2008-2012

Founding Fellow, Learned Society of Wales

Member of Editorial Board for: British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Journal of Applied Philosophy. 

External Assessor for senior posts at (inter alia): University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Warwick, London School of Economics.