Joey Barretta

Joey Barretta is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics. He comes to W&L after two years as a Civitas Postdoctoral Fellow at UT Austin. His primary interest is the political thought of Frederick Douglass with a particular focus on Douglass’s efforts to promote racial equality in America after the demise of the institution of slavery.
 
Barretta’s academic training is in the fields of American political thought and political philosophy, and he has taught courses in American government, American political thought, and African American political thought. He seeks to promote a discussion-based classroom experience centered on the close examination of primary texts in order to foster a respectful intellectual community.
 
Barretta has published peer-reviewed articles on Douglass’s fight against colonization, his educational program, and the development of his constitutional thought. Barretta’s work has been published in American Political Thought, Pietas, and the New North Star. His current book project is entitled Frederick Douglass’s America: Pursuing the New Life of Liberty.