Tejas Parasher, a UCLA assistant professor of political theory in the political science department and the International Institute, has been awarded the 2024 Political Theory Prize by the European Consortium for Political Research, or ECPR, for his book, “Radical Democracy in Modern Indian Political Thought.” The Political Theory Prize recognizes an outstanding debut book in political theory written in English.
Parasher’s book, which explores Indian radical democrats from the early to mid-20th century, “offers a new reading of the history of anti-colonial thought, bringing into the canon the works of forgotten thinkers such as Brajendra Nath Seal, Beni Prasad and K.T. Shah, all of whom produced profound and rich rejections of parliamentary democracy,” the 2024 Political Theory Prize jury said in a statement.
This is his second award for the book. In June, he received the 2024 Best First Book Award from the Foundation of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association. His research interests include modern political and legal theory — with a focus on empire, statehood and self-determination. He’s working on a second book about the concept of imperial parliamentarism in late 19th- and early 20th-century political thought in British India.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the 2024 ECPR Political Theory Prize,” Parasher said. “I am especially excited (and hopeful) that this prestigious recognition will help bring greater attention to global, non-Western traditions of democratic thought within political theory.”
