Rogers Smith Elected to the American Philosophical Society

Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science; chair of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism; and associate dean for social sciences, has been selected for membership in the American Philosophical Society.

A leading scholar of American public law, American political thought, and the politics of citizenship, Smith has explored how American constitutional development has been driven in part by tensions between conflicting American values, especially between rights doctrines and racial, gender, and religious conceptions of American identity.

Smith has argued that American constitutionalism and citizenship should be understood as efforts to extend secure possession of basic rights more inclusively in ways that have contributed significantly to debates over civil liberties, immigration, and policies shaping opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities.

The American Philosophical Society promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. It has played a role in American cultural and intellectual life for over 250 years.

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