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Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard
Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard

Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard

Senior Lecturer in International Politics

Biography

Dr Jonathan Leader Maynard is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics, and a Parliamentary Academic Fellow working for the International Affairs Unit of the UK House of Commons. Prior to joining King’s in 2020, Dr Leader Maynard was based at the University of Oxford, where he served as the Rank-Manning Junior Research Fellow in Social Science (2013-2015), and then Departmental Lecturer in International Relations (2015-2020).

Research interests

Dr Leader Maynard’s research spans political science and political theory, and is focused on the role of ideology in political violence, armed conflict, and extremist politics, particularly in forms of violence against civilians such as genocide, state terror and systematic human rights abuses. He also has secondary research interests in the broader role of ideology in contemporary politics, the ethics of political violence, and methodological debates within political theory and qualitative political science.

Dr Leader Maynard’s work has been published in an interdisciplinary range of journals, including Ethics, the Journal of Peace Research, Terrorism and Political Violence, the British Journal of Political Science and Genocide Studies and Prevention. His new book, Ideology and Mass Killing: The Radicalized Security Politics of Genocides and Deadly Atrocities, was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. He is also the Co-Editor (with Mark L. Haas) of The Routledge Handbook of Ideology and International Relations (Routledge, 2022).

Teaching

  • World politics since 1945
  • Ideology and Identity in World Politics
  • Undergraduate Dissertation Module

PhD supervision

Dr Leader Maynard is available to supervise PhDs in the following areas:

  • Genocides, mass killings and atrocity crimes
  • Political ideology
  • Extremism and radicalisation
  • Methodology of political theory and qualitative political science
  • The ethics of political violence

Recent publications

  • Humanizing Dehumanization Research, Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology 4 (2023) [co-authored with Aliza Luft]
  • The Routledge Handbook of Ideology and International Relations (Abingdon: Routledge, 2022) [co-edited with Mark L. Haas]
  • Ideology and Mass Killing: The Radicalized Security Politics of Genocides and Deadly Atrocities (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022)
  • Political Realism as Methods not Metaethics, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 25/3 (2022)
  • Ideology and armed conflict, Journal of Peace Research 56/5 (2019): 635-649
  • Is There a Distinctively Political Normativity?, Ethics 128/4 (2018): 756-787 [co-authored with with Alex Worsnip]
  • Convergence and Divergence in the Study of Ideology: A Critical Review, British Journal of Political Science 48/2 (2018): 563-589 [co-authored with Matto Mildenberger]
  • Dangerous Speech and Dangerous Ideology: An Integrated Model for Monitoring and Prevention, Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal 9/3 (2016) [co-authored with Susan Benesch]
  • Preventing Mass Atrocities: Ideological Strategies and Interventions, Politics and Governance 3/3 (2015)
  • Identity and Ideology in Political Violence and Conflict, St Anthony’s International Review 10/2 (2015): 18-52
  • Rethinking the Role of Ideology in Mass Atrocities, Terrorism and Political Violence 26/5 (2014): 821-841
  • A Complex Systems Approach to the Study of Ideology: Cognitive-Affective Structures and the Dynamics of Belief Systems, Journal of Social and Political Psychology 1/1 (2013): 337-363 [co-authored with Thomas Homer-Dixon, Matto Mildenberger, Manjana Milkoreit, Steven J. Mock, Stephen Quilley, Tobias Schröder and Paul Thagard]
  • A Map of the Field of Ideological Analysis, Journal of Political Ideologies 18/3 (2013): 299-327

Research

Tower_Bridge_Sunset_HERO
Political Theory Research Group

The political theory group covers many topics and approaches, and affirms the central importance of political economy to political theory.

security camera
Political Economy of Peace and Conflict

The Political Economy of Peace and Security research group analyses a wide range of conflicts, conflict resolution and institutional design for positive peace.

dan-freeman-G4E6PcOt4Ps-unsplash
Global South Research Group

The Global South research group brings together scholars engaged in research on international political and economic trends, non-European perspectives, and south-south comparisons.

twisted gun promo
Conflict, Security & Development Research Group

CSDRG undertakes a wide range of research, policy, advisory, and teaching activities related to conflict, security and development.

Fourth Annual Distinguished Lecture in Economics
Politics, Philosophy and Economics Research Group

The PPE research group studies questions spanning the disciplines of politics, philosophy, and economics.

talk-at-kings-thumbnail
Comparative Politics Research Group

The Comparative Politics research group hosts a research agenda based on political institutions, representation and regimes.

HistoryPolicy
History and Political Economy Research Group

The History and Political Economy Research Group at King's College London

News

Parliamentary appointment for academic

A King’s College London academic will be assisting the UK parliament with key policy and scrutiny work as part of a new post.

SPENewsStock

New book examines the factors that drive people to commit atrocity

In the 20th century alone, there were more victims of mass killing and genocide than there were dead soldiers on the battlefields, with tens of millions dead...

books

Research

Tower_Bridge_Sunset_HERO
Political Theory Research Group

The political theory group covers many topics and approaches, and affirms the central importance of political economy to political theory.

security camera
Political Economy of Peace and Conflict

The Political Economy of Peace and Security research group analyses a wide range of conflicts, conflict resolution and institutional design for positive peace.

dan-freeman-G4E6PcOt4Ps-unsplash
Global South Research Group

The Global South research group brings together scholars engaged in research on international political and economic trends, non-European perspectives, and south-south comparisons.

twisted gun promo
Conflict, Security & Development Research Group

CSDRG undertakes a wide range of research, policy, advisory, and teaching activities related to conflict, security and development.

Fourth Annual Distinguished Lecture in Economics
Politics, Philosophy and Economics Research Group

The PPE research group studies questions spanning the disciplines of politics, philosophy, and economics.

talk-at-kings-thumbnail
Comparative Politics Research Group

The Comparative Politics research group hosts a research agenda based on political institutions, representation and regimes.

HistoryPolicy
History and Political Economy Research Group

The History and Political Economy Research Group at King's College London

News

Parliamentary appointment for academic

A King’s College London academic will be assisting the UK parliament with key policy and scrutiny work as part of a new post.

SPENewsStock

New book examines the factors that drive people to commit atrocity

In the 20th century alone, there were more victims of mass killing and genocide than there were dead soldiers on the battlefields, with tens of millions dead...

books