Paul Martorelli
Lecturer in Political Science
Paul Martorelli received his Ph.D. in Political Science with a Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley. His primary focus is political theory.
Paul Martorelli received his Ph.D. in Political Science with a Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley. His primary focus is political theory, which he integrates with Critical Theory, queer theory, and feminist theory. His dissertation “Mobilization and Its Discontents: Identity Politics in the Age of Identity Critique” examines how subordinated identity groups can organize for political change on their own behalf while avoiding self-descriptions that exclude or marginalize some of their members. The dissertation describes and critiques the kinds of injurious effects that can result when normative identities are constituted in and through collective political action; drawing on thinkers such as Crenshaw, Habermas, Warner, and Wittgenstein, the dissertation goes on to offer a set of political languages and practices vis-à-vis normativity and identity that could avoid such effects.
Education
- B.A., University of San Francisco
- M.A., University of California, Berkley
- Ph.D., University of California, Berkley
Current and upcoming courses
Canons of Political Thought
POL4216
Let’s face it: the “classic” or “canonical” authors in political theory are typically white, male, cis, heterosexual, and rich. Because of this, the canon of political theory has erased the ideas of people of color, women, queer people, and others on concepts such as justice, freedom, and equality. Odds are, these ideas are substantially different than the ones that have become the standards in political science and mainstream politics. This course explores the origins and imports of these other canons, these other classics. We will begin by carefully reading a canonical thinker, such as John Locke or John Stuart Mill, to understand their theorization of concepts such as justice, freedom, equality, and politics. Then we will examine and analyze works on the same topics by Black, women, and queer authors to compare, contrast, and critique the hegemonic perspective. We aren’t trying to justify the canon. Nor are we interested in simply dismantling it. Rather, we’re expanding and multiplying canons to help us confront political problems in an intersectional world. Authors may include Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Stanton, Frances Harper, and the Combahee River Collective.
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Democracy and Difference
POL4243
One of democracy’s greatest strengths is that it gives political power to the people. But what happens when “the people” is a diverse group with identities, interests, and desires that pull in many directions? Does democracy function best when everyone is treated the same? As if there are no differences among them? But what if some people are marginalized, subordinated, or stigmatized? Could pretending these stratifications don't exist actually weaken democracy? This course explores how democracy grapples with differences through texts in contemporary Western political theory. We will begin with liberal theories of democracy. Then we will study feminist, critical-race, queer, and other theorists to understand democracy from the perspectives of marginalized, subordinated, or stigmatized groups. We will not search for definitive answers or hard-and-fast conclusions about when democracy functions best. Rather, we are interested in getting a better sense of democracy’s many dimensions and tensions. -
Seminar: Sex/Politics
POL4349
The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v Hodges legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S. It also suggested that anyone who isn’t married cannot realize the full potential of being human. Obergefell’s dramatic swings between empowering and deriding LGBTQ people illuminate larger tensions in the relationship between sexuality and politics. Notably, marriage grants privileges to some, but not others, based on the state’s approval of their sexual preferences. The state, moreover, has historically regulated sex acts in ways that criminalize whole classes of people. These tensions raise key questions we will explore in this course: What role should the state play in supporting and restricting sexual practices? Should we look to the state to secure sexual freedom, or is sexual freedom achieved when we kick the state out of our bedrooms? More broadly, how are the boundaries of sexuality created in and through “politics”? To examine these questions, we will read queer theorists alongside contemporary political theorists.