Robert Downes

Ph.D Candidate

Education: Vassar College, BA, Political Science, Italian, Environmental Studies

Research: Robert is a PhD student in the Political Theory and Public Law subfields investigating law and justice with a focus on social ecology and radical democracy. His research interests include anarchism, dialectics, eco-criticism, environmental political theory, Indigeneous political thought, and left-libertarianism. Robert is especially interested in examining the dialectic of first and second nature as well as the intersection between direct action, climate change, and restorative praxis.

A lifelong Connecticut resident, Robert has extensive experience in local, state, and federal government, spanning both political campaign and administrative roles. He currently serves in the position of Secretary for his hometown’s sustainability task force while also serving as the Treasurer of a statewide PAC.

Research Interests: Anarchism, Dialectics, Critical Theory, Climate Change, Environmental Political Theory, Indigenous Political Thought, Law & Society, Marxism

Recent Publications:

Robert T.F. Downes. (forthcoming – Issue No. 4). “Reason vs. Reverence: Unsettling Social Ecology’s Enlightenment Roots with Indigenous Cosmologies,” 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳: 𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺.

Robert T.F. Downes. “Green Anarchy & Red Praxis: An Anarcho-Indigenous Dialogue Towards a Democracy of Species,” Anarchist Studies (accepted for Fall 2025 issue)

Robert T.F. Downes. (2024). “Natural Dialectics: Māori & Sioux Ecosophy Encounters the Rule of Law,” The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol9/iss1/2.

rtfdownes.com