Spitz Prize
The David and Elaine Spitz Prize is awarded annually for the best book in democratic and/or liberal theory
The David and Elaine Spitz Prize is awarded every year for the best book in democratic and/or liberal theory published two years earlier (e.g., the 2024 Prize will be given to a book published with a 2022 copyright date). Books that are jointly authored are eligible, but textbooks and edited collections are not.
Click here for a list of past Spitz Prize winners
David Spitz (1916–1979) and Elaine Spitz (1932-1986) were distinguished political theorists and core members of the Conference for the Study of Political Thought.
David Spitz completed his undergraduate degree at City College and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He then accepted a position at Ohio State University, where he taught political philosophy for over two decades and was named Professor of the Year by the College of Arts and Sciences in 1950. In 1970, David joined the faculty of Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. David held visiting appointments at Hunter College, Cornell University, Kenyon College, and the University of California, as well as abroad at the Bologna Center of Johns Hopkins University and the American Seminar in Political Science in Nice, France. His scholarship and teaching were supported by numerous fellowships, including those from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Fund for the Republic, the Fund for the Advancement of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Among David’s publications include the books Patterns of Anti-Democratic Thought (1949), Democracy and the Challenge of Power (1958), and The Liberal Idea of Freedom (1964). He also served as secretary of the Conference for the Study of Political Thought (1971–72, 1974–76), chaired award and program committees for the American Political Science Association, and served on the Executive Council of the Midwest Political Science Association.
Elaine Spitz earned her undergraduate degree with honors from Hunter College, received an M.A. from Yale University as a Falk Fellow, and completed her doctorate at the City University of New York. Over the course of her academic career, she held teaching appointments at the City University of New York, Colgate, Cornell, Vassar, the New School for Social Research, Montclair State College, and C.W. Post. Among Elaine’s publications include the book Majority Rule (1984), as well as numerous contributions to liberal and democratic theory. Her research was supported by fellowships from the Russell Sage Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Elaine also served on the editorial board of Polity and was an active member of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Committee on Equality.
The David and Elaine Spitz Prize honors the legacy of both scholars and their contributions to the study of political thought.
