Lori Jo Marso is a contemporary feminist political theorist and professor at Union College, known for her work on feminist philosophy, political subjectivity, and the intersection of gender and democratic theory. She engages with canonical and marginalized thinkers—including Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, and Mary Wollstonecraft—to examine how women's lived experiences shape and challenge political thought. Her work foregrounds the structural obstacles facing women as both subjects of philosophy and as political agents.
Developed feminist readings of Simone de Beauvoir's political philosophy in 'Politics with Beauvoir: Freedom in the Encounter'
Edited and contributed to 'Feminist Thinkers and the Demands of Femininity', examining constraints on women's political thought
Advanced critique of how male philosophers have theorized women without accounting for structural barriers to women's agency
Contributed to the intersection of feminist theory, democratic theory, and political subjectivity
Brought film and cultural analysis into feminist political philosophy