Hedwig Lieback

Hedwig grew up in Germany, completed her B.A. and M.A. degrees at Leipzig University and studied abroad at UT Austin as an undergraduate and at Princeton as a graduate student. She moved to New York in 2020 for her Ph.D. in political science. Prior to finishing her German degree, she completed internships at an NGO dedicated to anti-discrimination litigation in Berlin, at the Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation, and at the University of Porto, Portugal. She held a scholarship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation throughout her Bachelor’s and Master’s and received undergraduate and graduate grants for study abroad in the U.S. from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). To both her joy and her concern, she has now lived longer in the U.S. as an adult than in Europe though can vote only in the latter.

At Columbia, she specializes in political theory, the history of political thought, and legal history and theory. Her particular interests lie in US-American and German political thought in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, critical theory in both its narrow and expansive versions, and in social theories of capitalism. Bringing together an interest in social movements, capitalist social formation, and the law, she aims to contribute to the urgent and ongoing project of rethinking capital-labor relations in an effort to strengthen democracy.

When not teaching or at the library, she enjoys going for long, destination-less walks and to New York’s many theaters.