Lea Ypi

Lea Ypi is the Ralph Miliband Professor in Politics and Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Born and raised in Albania, she is internationally recognized for her work on democracy, freedom, political thought, and the experience of life under and after communism. She is a Fellow of the British Academy, a member of Academia Europaea, a fellow of the Albanian Academy of Science, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

She studied philosophy and literature at the University of Rome La Sapienza and earned her PhD from the European University Institute. She later held a postdoctoral fellowship at Nuffield College, Oxford. In addition to her role at LSE, she is Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University and a Permanent Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.

Lea Ypi is the author of several acclaimed books, including Free: Coming of Age at the End of History, a memoir reflecting on her childhood in Albania during the fall of communism. The book received international praise, won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and has been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Her most recent book, Indignity: A Life Reimagined, was named a book of the year by numerous international publications.

Alongside her academic and literary work, Ypi frequently contributes essays and commentary to publications including The Guardian and the Financial Times. Her writing combines personal experience, political reflection, and public engagement, making complex ideas accessible to broad audiences around the world.