About Dr Neema Parvini
Dr Neema Parvini is the author of eight books including The Prophets of Doom (2023), The Populist Delusion (2022), The Defenders of Liberty (2020), Shakespeare's Moral Compass (2018), Shakespeare and New Historicist Theory (2017), Shakespeare and Cognition (2015), Shakespeare and Contemporary Theory (2012), and Shakespeare's History Plays (2012). He has also written dozens of chapters and articles in scholarly publications and the media. As a member of the HEA, he has over a decade's experience in higher education. He set up the Academic Agency to focus on core academic skills and knowledge areas which can help students and learners of all ages to achieve both academic excellence and improve communication and research skills in the workplace.
Dr Parvini graduated with a first in English Literature from Royal Holloway, University of London, where he won several awards a including a McDonalds Scholarship (2001), the Margaret Bretherton Memorial Prize (2002), the Gertrude Schryver Prize (2004) and the Edmée Manning Award (2004). He gained his Masters degree in English Literature from Oxford University with distinction in 2005 before returning to Royal Holloway in 2006, where he was awarded a Thomas Holloway Scholarship to read for his PhD, which he completed in 2010.
Although Dr Parvini has a background as a Shakespeare scholar, his experiences working with investment bankers, financial experts and central bankers in the city led him to a lifelong interest in classical economics. This led him to writing a book-length study on the topic (The Defenders of Liberty), which was praised by various economists, and facilitated by an FA Hayek Award, an FA Hayek Program Grant for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and a Mises Institute Scholarship. He sits on the Academic Advisory Council for the IEA. His interest in political theory, also led to The Populist Delusion, a primer on elite theory, which went on to be an Amazon best seller and its follow-up The Prophets of Doom, which was also a best seller. He also runs a popular YouTube channel which has accrued over 24 million views.
Praise for Dr Parvini's work
'Shakespeare's History Plays does what it promises: it rethinks historicism, joining the ranks of the fine recent work that rejects the rejection of any common human nature. Excellent, informed, and exciting, it is highly critical of recent critical assumptions but highly judicious and creative in its own critique of recent criticism and in its insights into Shakespeare's creativity. No other battlefield in literary studies is as intensely contested as Shakespeare. Like a Tolstoy of scholarship, Parvini traces the ebb and flow of Shakespearean and theoretical battles over the last thirty years, and offers a chance for light to replace smoke.' - Brian Boyd, University of Auckland
'Shakespeare's Moral Compass is an exemplar of what scholarship in the humanities should be -- illuminating the human condition while drawing from multiple disciplines.' - Jonathan Haidt, New York University Stern School of Business, and author of The Righteous Mind
'Neema Parvini’s The Defenders of Liberty is a must-read for anyone with an interest in grasping the idea of liberty—what liberty is, and why it is important—and that should be just about everybody. Although this is a serious book on a serious topic, it is no dry-as-dust disquisition but a lively, learned and entertaining treatment of its subject. The book’s final chapter—‘What Went Wrong and What Is to be Done?’—is worth the price of admission all by itself. It had me laughing and cheering, sometimes both at the same time!' - Gerard Casey, Professor Emeritus, University College Dublin
'This is an outstanding work of intellectual history and an important work for anyone interested in the intellectual history of classical liberalism. Dr Parvini tells the story of both the ideas of liberalism and its major exponents and the movements they led in a narrative that is both informative and entertaining. This will be valuable for both friends and critics of the ideas and will correct many of the misrepresentations and misunderstandings that have been current recently. Combining scholarship and dispassionate judgment with commitment this is an important work.' - Stephen Davies, Head of Education, Institute of Economic Affairs
'Parvini blazes new paths, both in Austrian economics and in libertarian theory. Read this book for edification in both these important disciplines.' -Walter E. Block, Ph.D., Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics, Loyola University New Orleans, USA
'The Defenders of Liberty is a major contribution to the history of libertarian thought. Parvini grasps the power of libertarian thought in a way few can match, and everyone interested in political theory will benefit from the book.' - David Gordon, Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute
'The Populist Delusion is as an informative, succinctly-written and accessible handbook for those who wish to understand the core principles of elite theory.' - Alexander Adams, Bournbrook Magazine