NICHOLAS BUCCOLA
Author + Teacher + Political Philosopher
Located near: Los Angeles, CA
EXPERTISE
political philosophy
Racism and Antiracism in American History and Politics
Martin Luther King Jr.
James Baldwin
Frederick Douglass
The Abolitionist Movement
The American Right
The Civil Rights Movement
Event types
KEYNOTES
LECTURES
FIRESIDE CHATS
PANELS
WORKSHOPS
BOOK TALKS & READINGS
VIRTUAL EVENTS
FESTIVALS
INTERVIEWS
Nicholas Buccola is a writer, lecturer, and teacher who specializes in the area of American political thought. He is the author of One Man’s Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle over an American Ideal (Princeton University Press, October 2025). His previous books include The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America(Princeton University, 2019) and The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass: In Pursuit of American Liberty (New York University Press, 2012). He is the editor of The Essential Douglass: Writings and Speeches(Hackett, 2016) and Abraham Lincoln and Liberal Democracy (University Press of Kansas, 2016). His essays have appeared in scholarly journals including The Review of Politics and American Political Thought as well as popular outlets such as The New York Times, Salon, The Baltimore Sun, and Dissent. He is Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. He serves as the Book Review Editor of American Political Thought (University of Chicago Press).
Get social with Nicholas Buccola
books by nicholas buccola
nicholas buccola in the media
Revisiting the “American Dream”: 60 Years Later hosted by Town Hall NYC
Love is a Battle: James Baldwin’s Patriotism a lecture by Nicholas Buccola
One Man's Freedom: The Struggle Over an American Ideal featuring Nicholas Buccola at the Hauenstein Center
Political scientist Nicholas Buccola discusses his new book "The Fire Is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate Over Race in America.
Recent Articles Featuring Nicholas Buccola:
Nicholas Buccola on The Fire is Upon Us | Princeton University Press
The Famous Baldwin-Buckley Debate Still Matters Today | The Atlantic
When James Baldwin Squared Off Against William F. Buckley Jr. (Published 2019) | The New York Times
One Man’s Intellectual Blossoming | Santa Clara University
Podcasts with Nicholas Buccola:
