I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Duke University, specializing in political theory.

My research interests are in religious pluralism and toleration, democratic theory, ancient and early modern political thought, French political thought, and comparative political thought.

My dissertation examines the relationship between religious pluralism and regime type, with a focus on how and under what conditions some regimes that do not fit neatly into the category of liberal democracy have managed to sustain religious pluralism. Drawing from the history of political thought and a comparative analysis of Western and non-Western case studies, I explore the various forms that religious pluralism can take and the normative implications of this account of pluralism for our understanding of toleration. My other work examines the concept of civil religion in Rousseau’s Social Contract.

Prior to graduate school, I worked as a Foreign Service Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore for three years. I received my B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College in 2016.  

I can be reached at wanning.seah@duke.edu.