Scholarship
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A Global Leader in Constitutional Studies
Since opening our doors in 2014, the Kinder Institute has quickly become a global destination for studying the philosophical and historical origins of constitutional democracy in the United States, and the reverberations of the American Founding across continents and centuries.
Friday Colloquium Series
The cornerstone of intellectual life at the Kinder Institute, the Colloquium Series transforms our seminar room in Jesse 410 into a lecture hall every other Friday during the school year, with MU professors and visiting scholars presenting cutting edge research on political thought and political history from ancient ages to the present day. The Fall 2026 colloquium calendar will go live in August, and people can begin saving dates then, but in the meantime, anyone interested in re-visiting our Spring 2026 “America at 250: Global Perspectives” lecture series, which featured speakers from five continents reflecting on the state of constitutional democracy in the lead up to the United States’ semiquincentennial anniversary, can do so via the link to the Kinder Institute YouTube page below.
MU Press Book Series
Launched in 2016 with Lloyd Gaines and the Fight to End Segregation, the Kinder Institute’s Studies in Constitutional Democracy book series with University of Missouri Press has published award-winning monographs and edited collections on topics ranging from the Missouri Crisis to the myth of coequal branches.
Faculty Scholarship
At the heart of the Kinder Institute are faculty members engaged in producing nuanced, world-class scholarship on the dawn of constitutional democracy in the United States, its spread around the globe, and its evolution over time.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Committed to the development of the next generation of scholars and teachers, the Kinder Institute sponsors multiple postdoctoral fellows in political history and political thought each year, along with a DPAA research fellow, on the fourth floor of Jesse Hall.
International Conferences
In addition to our regular Friday Colloquium Series, the Kinder Institute regularly hosts scholars from around the globe for themed conferences, book-in-progress workshops, and meetings of historical organizations.