Michael Saward (political theorist)

Michael Saward (born 1 September 1960), is an Australian and British professor of politics and international studies at the University of Warwick, He was formerly Reader in Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London, and Professor and Head of Department in politics and international studies at the Open University.

He was a Leverhulme Major Research Fellow, 2016–19, is a member of the Sydney Democracy Network and was Director of the Midlands Graduate School, 2013-16.

Education
Michael Saward gained his doctorate from the University of Essex in 1989.

Research
His research focuses on the way key political ideas change over time, and how they are worked out in practice. Contemporary ideas of democracy is also a subject which he has written about extensively.

Career
Before joining as a reader in 2000 Open University, Saward worked at the Royal Holloway, University of London.

In 2006 the Open University made him director of the Citizenship Strand in the Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance (CCIG). His inaugural speech, on the theme of what it means to 'do' political representation theory, took place on 4 July 2006 at the Berrill Lecture Theatre, at the Open University.