Dean Caivano

Assistant Professor

610.758.5987

dcc212@lehigh.edu

0009 - Maginnes Hall

Education:

Ph.D., Political Science, York University

M.A., Political Science, Lehigh University

B.A., Philosophy & Politics, University of Pittsburgh

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Research Areas

Political Theory

Additional Interests

Radical Democracy
Prison Abolition
American Political Thought
Narrative - Storytelling

Research Statement

Dean’s research primarily focuses on radical democracy and emancipatory politics, with a particular interest in how these concepts intersect with contemporary social movements and political practices. His work critically engages with democratic theory, exploring how marginalized voices and radical political ideas can reshape public discourse and institutional practices. His current research is mainly centered on the theory and practice of prison abolition, where he examines how abolitionist frameworks challenge existing power structures and reimagine the future of justice.

He is the author of A Politics of All: Thomas Jefferson and Radical Democracy, a study that delves into Jeffersonian political thought and its relevance to modern democratic theory. He is also the co-author of The Sublime of the Political: Narrative & Autoethnography as Theory, which explores narrative and personal storytelling as theoretical tools in political analysis. Additionally, he edited and contributed to No Escape: Excavating the Multidimensional Phenomenon of Fear, a collection that critically examines the role of fear in political and social life.

His scholarly articles have appeared in academic journals such as Philosophy & Social Criticism, SPECTRA, New Political Science, and the Journal of Narrative Politics, where he addresses issues ranging from the politics of fear to the dynamics of radical democracy.

He is developing a new book project that theorizes prison abolition within the cultural, political, and historical context of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This project, Carceral Commonwealth, seeks to analyze how the state's carceral policies reflect broader national trends and how abolitionist movements challenge the historical narratives surrounding mass incarceration. Through this work, Professor Caivano aims to further contribute to scholarly debates on transformative justice and the dismantling of carceral systems.

Biography

Dean Caivano is an assistant professor of political theory at Lehigh University. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, he earned his B.A. in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012. He then completed his M.A. in Political Science at Lehigh University in 2013 and later received his Ph.D. in Political Science from York University in 2019, specializing in political theory and American politics. In 2024, he returned to Lehigh as a faculty member.

Before joining Lehigh, Dean taught political theory in various higher education settings, including community colleges, research universities, adult education programs, and carceral institutions. These diverse teaching experiences deepened his understanding of students' unique challenges in different educational contexts and fueled his passion for rethinking pedagogical approaches.

Dean’s academic appointments include professor of political science and history at Merced College, where he was named Professor of the Year for two consecutive years. He also served as a lecturer of political theory at California State University, Stanislaus, and as an instructor of political theory at York University. Beyond teaching, Dean has been a visiting scholar at the Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs (APSA) and a visiting fellow at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.

Dean is the founder and former editor of the Valley Research Journal, a social science journal featuring undergraduate scholarly work from the Central Valley of California.

In his “free time,” Dean enjoys exploring cafés, attending music concerts, and visiting art museums with his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Florence Lillian. He also stays busy taking walks with their two dogs—Wendy, a majestic blue heeler, and Cowboy, an adorable chihuahua mix. A lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dean remains ever-hopeful despite the team's nearly perpetual cycle of losing seasons.

Selected Publications

Books

Caivano, Dean. A Politics of All: Thomas Jefferson and Radical Democracy. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2022. (Political Theory for Today Series).
Caivano, Dean, and Sarah Naumes. The Sublime of the Political: Narrative & Autoethnography as Theory. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript Verlag & New York: Columbia University Press. 2021.
Caivano, Dean, ed. No Escape: Excavating the Multidimensional Phenomenon of Fear. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press & Brill Press, 2016.

Articles/Book Chapters

Breaugh, Martin, and Dean Caivano. "A Living Critique of Domination: Exemplars of Radical Democracy from Black Lives Matter to #MeToo." Philosophy & Social Criticism 48, no. 3 (2022).
Caivano, Dean. "'Anarchy' and the 'Mob' in the Early Republic." Starting Points (Spring 2022).
Caivano, Dean. "The Question of Sharing: Thomas Jefferson and the Idea of Communal Property." Histories 1, no. 3 (2021).
Caivano, Dean. "The Fear of Domination: Resistance Against Tyranny." Journal of the American Revolution (2020).
Caivano, Dean, Rodney Doody, Terry Maley, and Chris Vandenberg. "Critical Pedagogy in the Neoliberal University." In Marcuse in the Twenty-First Century: Radical Politics, Critical Theory, and Revolutionary Praxis. London: Routledge, 2018.
Caivano, Dean, and Hailey Murphy. "Revealing and Acting: Anxiety and Courage in Heidegger and Arendt." SPECTRA 6, no. 1 (2017).
Caivano, Dean, and Sarah Naumes. "Vignettes of the Banal." Journal of Narrative Politics 3, no. 2 (2017).
Caivano, Dean, Rodney Doody, Terry Maley, and Chris Vandenberg. "Critical Pedagogy in the Neoliberal University: Reflections on the York University Strike through a Marcusean Lens." New Political Science 38, no. 4 (2016).
Caivano, Dean. "The Symbiotic Relationship of the American Megastate and Post-9/11 Terrorism: Politics of Fear, Violence and Dependency." In No Escape: Excavating the Multidimensional Phenomenon of Fear. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press & Brill Press, 2016.

Teaching

POLS 100: Introduction to Political Thought
POLS 356/456: Seminar: Political Philosophy
POLS 357/457: Politics of Authenticity