Biography
Michael Lazarus is a Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Political Economy. Before coming to King’s College London, he was Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University and Deakin University Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute. He holds a PhD from Monash University.
His research covers major themes and thinkers in political theory, political economy and moral philosophy. His first book, Absolute Ethical Life: Aristotle, Hegel and Marx, was published in 2025 by Stanford University Press.
Currently, he is working on two book projects. The first concerns early understandings of exchange society, especially ideas of labour, money, social reproduction and colonialism, as theorised by Adam Smith and G.W.F. Hegel. The second project compares conceptions of political action in Hannah Arendt and Gillian Rose. In addition to his many scholarly publications, he regularly writes for non-academic venues.
His personal website can be found at: https://www.michaellazarus.net
Office hours
Wednesday: 15.00 - 16.00
Friday: 11.00 - 12.00
Please e-mail for an appointment
Research interests
- Critical theory
- History of political thought
- Moral philosophy
- Critical political economy
- Contemporary social and political theory
- Theories of capitalism
- Political economy of work
- Aristotle and neo-Aristotelianism
- Hegel and German Idealism
- Marx and Marxism
Teaching
- Critical Theory
- Key Concepts in Contemporary Political Economy
Latest publications
Hegel and MacIntyre: Reason in History, ed. Michael Lazarus, Caleb Bernacchio, Ahmad Fattah, David Kretz (New York: Routledge, 2026)
Absolute Ethical Life: Aristotle, Hegel and Marx (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2025)
Recent articles:
From the Invisible Hand to the Rabble: Smith, Hegel and Social Ontology, Cambridge Journal of Economics (2025): 10.1093/cje/beaf046
Economy and State: the Politics of Citizenship and Universality in Gillian Rose, Hannah Arendt and Rosa Luxemburg, Thesis Eleven (2025): 10.1177/07255136251314511
Where Is the Cross: On Gillian Rose. An Interview with J.M. Bernstein, Thesis Eleven (2025): 10.1177/07255136251314510
Research
Political Theory Research Group
The political theory group covers many topics and approaches, and affirms the central importance of political economy to political theory.
Contemporary Marxism Research Group
The Contemporary Marxism Research Group use the varieties of Marxist theory to analyse the contemporary world, with special reference to political economy and to political and social movements.
Research
Political Theory Research Group
The political theory group covers many topics and approaches, and affirms the central importance of political economy to political theory.
Contemporary Marxism Research Group
The Contemporary Marxism Research Group use the varieties of Marxist theory to analyse the contemporary world, with special reference to political economy and to political and social movements.