Research interests
Dr Fear maintains a “mixed portfolio” approach to research. Much of his recent research has focused on conservative political thought, historical and contemporary, and some of his publications in this area have appeared in the Journal of Political Ideologies, History of European Ideas, and The Review of Politics. Other work on conservatism has been presented at international conferences from Edinburgh to Budapest. In general he advocates an historically-informed approach to political theory, building on his research expertise in British and German Idealism, and he has defended this approach in contributions to methodological debates in the history of ideas, some of which have been published in the Journal of the Philosophy of History (×2) and History of the Human Sciences. Finally, he maintains a “side-line” interest in the political writings of Wyndham Lewis.
Dr Fear is a member of the Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought, and of the Political Studies Association, being an active member of the latter’s Conservatism Studies and British Idealism specialist groups. During his time at Hull, he has directed the Centre for Idealism and the New Liberalism, the Free Society stream of the Institute of Applied Ethics, and the BA Politics, Philosophy and Economics degree programme.
Dr Fear welcomes approaches from diligent and perseverant students from any background who wish to pursue doctoral research in any of the following areas: (1) Conservative and liberal political theory; (2) British or German Idealist social and political philosophy, especially that of R. G. Collingwood, F. H. Bradley, and related authors; (3) nineteenth- and twentieth-century British or German political history; (4) the political writings of Wyndham Lewis.
Postgraduate supervision
Dr Fear welcomes approaches from diligent and perseverant students from any background who wish to pursue doctoral research in any of the following areas: (1) Conservative and liberal political theory; (2) British or German Idealist social and political philosophy, especially that of R. G. Collingwood, F. H. Bradley, and related authors; (3) nineteenth- and twentieth-century British or German political history; (4) the political writings of Wyndham Lewis.
If you would like to propose research that touches in some way on these areas, please don’t be afraid to email him.