Rebecca Susan LeMoine
Author and Professor of Political Theory
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. I joined the department in Fall 2014 after receiving my Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my B.A. in Politics from Washington and Lee University.
I specialize in Political Theory, particularly questions of cultural diversity and global justice in ancient Greek political thought. My work has been published in numerous academic journals including the American Political Science Review, History of Political Thought, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought, and Political Theory.
My book, Plato’s Caves: The Liberating Sting of Cultural Diversity (Oxford University Press, 2020) defends the bold thesis that Plato was a friend of cultural diversity, contrary to many contemporary perceptions. It shows that, across Plato’s dialogues, foreigners play a role similar to that of Socrates: liberating citizens from intellectual bondage.
I am currently working on my second book project, tentatively titled Singing a Different Tune: Music and the Politics of Cultural Diversity in Ancient Greek Thought. In 2025-2026, I will be on research leave thanks to the support of an FAU sabbatical award and a fellowship through the NEH Awards for Faculty Program.
Though my research focuses on ancient political thought, I enjoy teaching a wide range of political theory courses, from ancient to modern to American political thought. Of the many courses I have created and added to the course catalogue at FAU, I am most proud of “The Politics of Music” and “Global Political Theory,” a general education course that introduces students to political theories from around the globe using the methods of comparative political theory. I currently serve as the Director of the Undergraduate Program in Political Science and Director of the Ethics, Law, and Society Certificate.
Recent Publications
- “Chapter 16: Ancient Greece.” In Research Handbook on the History of Political Thought, edited by Cary J. Nederman and Guillaume Bogiaris, 178-188. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024.
- “Speaking Differently: The ‘Many-Saying’ Politics, Music, and World of Homer’s Odyssey.” Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy 50.2 (2024): 243–260.
- “A Recovered Script: Political Theory in the Year 2422.” Political Theory 51.1 (2023): 134–145. Solicited and refereed work of creative fiction for 50th anniversary issue.
- “Rereading Plato on Censorship: Mindfulness towards Music and Politics in the Republic.” The Political Science Reviewer 45.1 (2021): 165–192.
Most-Cited Articles
- “Foreigners as Liberators: Education and Cultural Diversity in Plato’s Menexenus.” American Political Science Review 111.3 (2017): 471–483.
- “The Benefits of Bullies: Sophists as Unknowing Teachers of Moderation in Plato’s Euthydemus.” Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought 32.1 (2015): 32–54.
- “‘We Are the Champions’: Mousikē and Cultural Chauvinism in Plato’s Republic.” Expositions: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities 11.1 (2017): 157–175.