Samuel Burry

Samuel Burry is a DPhil (PhD) student in Politics at Oxford. He is a historian of political thought and primarily works on twentieth-century American and African American political thought. His research has been published in Perspectives on Politics, Modern Intellectual History, and The American Journal of Jurisprudence.  

Sam’s doctoral research focuses on the political and legal thought of Derrick Bell and his broader influence on African American political thought in the late twentieth century. He has also published articles on topics such as how American political and legal theorists drew on ordinary language philosophy in the 1960s, liberal conceptions of judicial decision-making in the 1970s, and Thomas Paine’s and Thomas Jefferson’s thought on intergenerational obligations.
​
Sam’s other research interests include twentieth-century American legal and intellectual history, and American political development (APD). He is also part of the editorial team for Anthroposphere: The Oxford Climate Review. His doctoral research is fully funded by Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute.   

Prior to Oxford, Sam completed an MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History and a BA in History and Politics at Cambridge, where he graduated with a starred first (first-class honours with distinction) and was awarded the University’s History and Politics Prize for best overall performance.