The Department of Government is proud to announce that two of our Ph.D. candidates in political theory, Abbie LeBlanc and Jan-Paul Sandmann, have been selected as 2025–26 Edmond J. Safra Graduate Fellows at Harvard’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics.
Abbie LeBlanc, a fourth-year graduate student, focuses on the history of political thought, particularly early modern political thought, feminist political thought, Indigenous political thought, and the politics of the novel.
Her dissertation explores how real and imagined lunar voyages challenge foundational concepts of sovereignty, property, and empire. By engaging with political thought from the early modern period to contemporary Indigenous perspectives, Abbie examines how space exploration opens ethical and political questions that transcend colonial legacies. Her research draws on diverse influences – settler colonialism, feminism, and the politics of literature – and her scholarly contributions include work on Rousseau, Míkmaw treaty-making, and narrative and education in Thomas Hardy’s novels.
A fifth-year graduate student, Jan-Paul Sandmann, is interested in democratic theory and the philosophy of social science, with his research bringing a philosophical lens to enduring questions about the role of aesthetics in political life.
Drawing from the writings of Thomas Mann and Theodor Adorno, his dissertation probes the role of art in society. Jan-Paul examines both the potential and the risks of this view for liberal democracies, where the ideal of a socially resonant culture of art is often treated as a matter of individual enrichment, but less often regarded as contributing to important civic virtues.
The Safra Center supports scholars from varied disciplines whose work engages pressing ethical challenges. This year’s open call emphasized innovative inquiries into disagreement and democratic discourse. Both Abbie and Jan-Paul exemplify the intellectual rigor and ethical engagement the fellowship seeks to foster.
Congratulations to Abbie and Jan-Paul on this well-deserved recognition.