Dr. Alexander Kruska

Bio

Dr. Alexander Kruska is Lecturer in Political Science at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and Teaching Coordinator for its Social Studies Education programme. Since 2018 Kruska heads the Nuremberg branch of the Institute of Political Science (Teacher Education).

From 2011 until 2015 he worked as an archivist at FAU’s Gerlach archive and, until 2018, as research associate at the Institute of Political Science (Chair of Political Philosophy and History of Ideas). In his PhD dissertation in Political Theory (FAU, 2017 / transcript, 2019), he analysed the polemics the infamous reactionary Karl Ludwig von Haller (1768–1854) used to fight against early liberal thought and its democratic ideals.

Teaching and Research

His teaching activities include courses on all fields of Political Science (BA level), including Comparative Politics and Politics of Germany, Political Theory, International Relations, and propaedeutics as well as preparatory courses for the state examination (Staatsexamen degree) which qualifies graduates for teaching positions at public schools in Bavaria/Germany. In his research, Kruska focuses on the normative and historical foundations of liberal democracy (political and constitutional history of the 19^th century).

Latest Talks

• “‘As gently as the ripe apple falls from the tree’ – The foundation of the American republic in 19th century’s German conservative thought.”, Bavarian American Academy annual conference 2022: Representations and Uses of the American Revolution in Past and Present, 07.07.2022–09.07.2022, Amerikahaus, München.
• Panel „On the invention of Organicism in nineteenth century German thought“ and talk „Karl Ludwig von Haller’s organicist concept of natural rule“ , German History Society Annual Conference: 03.–05.09.2019, King’s College London, United Kingdom.
• „Revolution as a ‘sin’ against the natural order of things: Karl Ludwig von Haller’s organicist concept of natural rule“ , International Society for Intellectual History 2019 Conference: Revolutions & Evolutions in Intellectual History, 05.–07.06.2019, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
• „Military dictatorship as the ‘reign of the mightier’ in Karl Ludwig von Haller’s counter-revolutionary ‘doctrine’“ , Symposium: Dictatorship in the Nineteenth Century – Conceptualizations, Experiences, Transfers, Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Preußischer Kulturbesitz), 13.07.2018, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
• „The ‘Restauration der Staatswissenschaft’ of Karl Ludwig von Haller as a polemic against early liberal political thought and its conception of social order“ , Counter-Revolution and the Making of Conservatism(s), Transnationalism and the circulation of conservative ideas from the mid-seventeenth century until the First World War, 14.–15.06.2018, Soeterbeeck conference centre (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen), Ravenstein, Netherlands.