Nadia Urbinati is Professor of Political Theory at Columbia University. She studied philosophy and political science at the University of Bologna (her Alma Mater) and the European University Institute, where she obtained her doctorate. She is the winner of the 2008 2009 Lenfest/Columbia Distinguished Faculty Award and in 2004 her book Mill on Democracy: From the Athenian Polis to Representative Government (2002) received the David and Elaine Spitz Prize. She has published widely on her research interests in both English and Italian.