Kye Barker teaches courses in political theory that focus on modern European thought, Continental political theory, environmental political theory and the modern history of republicanism. His research is situated at the intersection of the history of political thought, the history of the emotions and secularization studies. His book manuscript, A Political Theory of Wonder: Feelings of Order in Modern Political Thought, excavates and analyzes how wonder has been used by modern political thinkers in a supposedly disenchanted world in ways that aim to establish and sustain political institutions, such as the sovereign state and the market economy.

Barker received his doctorate in political science from UCLA. He also holds a master’s degree in the social sciences from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the University of Kansas. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Political Theory, History of Political Thought and Theory & Event. Previously, he has been a lecturer in the UCLA political science department and the LMU political science department.