While many if not all of the College’s fields of research (such as history, law, economics, philosophy) have a bearing on the study of politics, politics has been pursued as a discipline in its own right at All Souls for nearly a century. All Souls established the first fellowship in the subject at Oxford in 1910. It is home to the University's Gladstone Chair of Government and the Chichele Chair of Social and Political Theory. The Chichele Chair has been held by G.D.H. Cole, Sir Isaiah Berlin, John Plamenatz, Charles Taylor, Jerry Cohen, and Jeremy Waldron. The Gladstone Chair has been held by Sir Kenneth Wheare, Max Beloff, Samuel Finer, Peter Pulzer, Alfred Stepan, and Christopher Hood.

Politics is one of the College’s subjects for Examination Fellowships and Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships; the College has had many Visiting Fellows in politics over the years (including figures such as Joe Nye and the late Samuel P. Huntington); and several Fellows (such as John Redwood, Jesse Norman, and Lord Waldegrave) have had experience with direct participation in politics. The College maintains a visible presence in the public sphere through periodic conferences, yearly lectures, such as the annual Carlyle Lectures and the Lee Lecture in Political Science and Government, and regular research seminars, such as the T. E. Lawrence Talks on Conflict and Violence. Its approach to the study of politics is wide-ranging, with a strong emphasis on historical and philosophical methods and a particular focus on the study of global conflict, going back to T.E. Lawrence who wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom while a College fellow. The College welcomes applicants from across the discipline for its Examination Fellowship and Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship competitions.

Current Fellows:

• Professor Cécile Fabre
• Dr Thomas Hegghammer
• Professor Stathis Kalyvas
• Justas Petrauskas
• The Rt Hon Sir John Redwood
• Professor Amia Srinivasan
• Lucas Tse
• The Rt Hon. Lord [William] Waldegrave of North Hill
• Dr Anne Wolf

Emeritus Fellows:

• Professor Sir Hew Strachan