Sleat, Matt, Dr

Dr Matt Sleat

Department of Politics and International Relations

Reader in Political Theory

m.sleat@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 1692

Elmfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Matt Sleat
Department of Politics and International Relations
Elmfield Building
Northumberland Road
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S10 2TU

Profile

Dr Matt Sleat joined the Department in 2007 and is currently a Reader in Political Theory.

He works on and has published widely across three main research areas: realist political thought, liberal philosophy, and international relations theory. He is author of two books - Post-Liberalism (Polity forthcoming) and Liberal Realism: A Realist Theory of Liberal Politics (MUP 2013; paperback 2017; Chinese translation 2024) – and editor of Politics Recovered: Essays on Realist Political Thought (Columbia University Press 2018).

He has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Political Theory, Review of International Studies, Review of Politics, Political Studies, European Journal of Political Theory, European Journal of Philosophy, International Politics, Social Philosophy & Practice, International Political Theory and Social Theory & Practice.

In 2020, Dr Sleat was awarded the inaugural Mid-Career Prize by the Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought ().

He has held research fellowships from the Leverhulme Trust and British Academy, and visiting fellowships at the Australia National University, Queen Mary University of London, Kings College London and the University of Oxford. From 2014-17 he was editor of the European Journal of Political Theory, and from 2017-2023 co-editor of Political Studies.

Publications

Books

Sleat M (2013) Liberal Realism: A Realist Theory of Liberal Politics. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Edited books

Sleat M (Ed.) (2018) Politics Recovered: Realist Thought in Theory and Practice. Columbia: Columbia University Press.

Journal articles

Sleat M (2025) . Social Philosophy and Policy, 41(1), 139-157.
Sleat M (2024) . Political Theory, 52(4), 581-604.
Shklar JN (2023) . Political Studies, 71(2), 279-294.
Sleat M (2022) . Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 25(3), 465-478.
Sleat M (2022) . European Journal of Philosophy, 30(2), 693-708.
Hall E & Sleat M (2019) Ethics, morality and the case for realist political theory (vol 20, pg 276, 2017). CRITICAL REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY, 22(2), 235-235.
Hall E & Sleat M (2018) . Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 10-27.
Sleat M (2018) . Review of International Studies, 44(2), 324-342.
Hall E & Sleat M (2017) . Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 20(3), 276-290.
Sleat M (2016) . Social Philosophy and Policy, 33(1-2), 252-272.
Sleat M (2016) . Journal of International Political Theory, 12(2), 169-184.
Sleat M (2016) . Political Studies, 64(1), 27-41.
Sleat M (2016) . International Politics, 53(1), 67-82.
Sleat M (2015) . Social Theory and Practice, 41(2), 230-252.
Sleat M (2015) . Juncture, 21(4), 305-310.
Rossi E & Sleat M (2014) . Philosophy Compass, 9(10), 689-701.
Sleat M (2014) . Political Theory, 42(3), 314-337.
Sleat M (2014) A Defence of the Radical Version of the Asymmetry Objection to Political Liberalism. Croatian Journal of Philosophy, 14(1), 73-90.
Sleat M (2013) ‘Responsible to Whom? Obligations to Participants and Society in Social Science Research’. Academy of Social Sciences' Professional Briefings, 3, 15-18.
Sleat M (2013) . European Journal of Political Theory, 12(4), 347-367.
Sleat M (2013) . Contemporary Politics, 19(2), 131-145.
Sleat M (2013) . European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, 5(2), 38-58.
Sleat M (2012) . Political Theory, 40(5), 650-656.
Sleat M (2011) . Review of Politics, 73(3), 469-496.
Sleat M (2010) . European Journal of Political Theory, 9(4), 485-503.
Sleat M (2007) . Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 3(10), 389-398.
Sleat M (2007) . INQUIRY, 50(3), 288-305.
Sleat M (2006) . Journal of Applied Philosophy, 4(23), 405-417.

Chapters

Sleat M (2019) , The Political Theory of Modus Vivendi (pp. 185-201). Springer International Publishing
Sleat M (2018) , Politics Recovered (pp. 1-26). Columbia University Press
Sleat M (2018) 'What is Modus Vivendi?: Some Sceptical Thoughts' In Horton J (Ed.), The Political Theory of Modus Vivendi Springer
Sleat M (2018) Politics Recovered-on the Revival of Realism in Contemporary Political Theory Introduction, POLITICS RECOVERED (pp. 1-25).
Sleat M (2017) , Advances in Research Ethics and Integrity (pp. 37-46). Emerald Publishing Limited
Sleat M (2013) The resurgence of realist political theory Introduction, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 1-+).
Sleat M (2013) The realist vision of the political Conflict, coercion, and the circumstances of politics, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 45-70).
Sleat M (2013) The realist challenge to liberal theory, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 71-88).
Sleat M (2013) The partisan foundations of liberal realism, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 132-151).
Sleat M (2013) The moderate hegemony of liberal realism, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 152-175).
Sleat M (2013) The liberal vision of the political Consensus, freedom, and legitimacy, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 21-44).
Sleat M (2013) Liberal alternatives The liberalism of fear and modus vivendi, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 89-111).
Sleat M (2013) Bernard Williams and the structure of liberal realism, LIBERAL REALISM: A REALIST THEORY OF LIBERAL POLITICS (pp. 112-131).

Book reviews

Sleat M (2022) . Perspectives on Politics, 20(2), 707-708.
Sleat M (2021) . European Journal of Political Theory, 20(4), 804-811.
Sleat M (2017) . Political Studies Review, 15(1), 94-94.
Sleat M (2009) The Legacy of John Rawls. POLIT STUD REV, 7(2), 243-243.
Sleat M (2007) . Philosophical Investigations, 30(1), 97-100.

Other

Stevenson H, Hindmoor A, Pattie C & Sleat M (2017) . Political Studies, 65(3), 533-534.
Rossi E, Sleat M & Jubb R (2016) . European Journal of Political Theory, 15(4), 375-376.
Rossi E, Sleat M & Jubb R (2014) . European Journal of Political Theory, 13(4), 385-387.

Preprints

Rossi E & Sleat M (2014) , SSRN Electronic Journal.

Research group

Political Theory

Grants

Leverhulme Research Fellowship – ‘Post-Liberalism: A Critique’ (Feb. 2023 – Sept. 2024)
British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship - 'The Ethics of Cyberwar' (Jan. 2015 – Dec. 2015)

Professional activities and memberships

Elected member of the Executive Committee of the Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought (2023- )
Editor of Political Studies (2017-23)
Editor of European Journal of Political Theory (2013-17); Associate Editor (2017- )
External Examiner – Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, Undergraduate Part II (2020-23); School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, MSc International Relations Theory (2017-21)

PhD Supervision

Recent supervision:

Andrew Leary - Realism and Egalitarianism
Carlo Cordasco - Rethinking Spontaneous Order: Norms, Institutions and Legitimacy (completed 2019)
Janosch Prinz – Political Realism and Critical Theory (completed 2015)

I would be happy to supervise research in the following broad areas:

Realist political thought
Contemporary liberal theory
Challenges to liberalism