Richard Beardsworth

Richard Beardsworth is Head of the School of Politics and International Studies and Professor of International Politics at the University of Leeds.

He has degrees from Cambridge and Sussex Universities in Modern Languages and Literatures, Critical Theory and Political Philosophy (MA, MA, D.Phil). He was previously E.H.Carr Professor of International Politics and Head of Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University. Prior to that, he was Professor of International Theory at Florida International University and Professor of Political Philosophy and International Relations at the American University of Paris. He is also Research Associate at the Centre des Etudes de Relations Internationales, SCiPo, Paris, and an appointed member of BISA executive.

Beardsworth's recent interests lie in global politics, statecraft and long-term policy formation regarding global challenges, particularly climate change and sustainability. To this end, his recent publications have rehearsed a Weberian and republican account of ethical responsibility towards global challenges that re-aligns national interests and duties, on the one hand, and global interests and responsibilities on the other (avoiding the current split between global governance and nationalism).

He co-directs research projects on state responsibility towards global challenges and the rehearsal of plausible norms in international politics. Two major questions in these projects are: How can we understand state responsibilities at the intersection of non-territorial challenges? What is the relation between normative change and political judgment? His own work increasingly focuses on establishing political narratives around climate change responsibility and the possibility of systemic change.