Lea Schwab
I am a legal scholar (MLaw, University of Zurich, summa cum laude) and a philosopher (M.A., LMU Munich). My research in legal philosophy and political theory, with a primary focus on Hannah Arendt, reconstructs the concept of law across her entire oeuvre; contextualizes the relevant texts; analyzes them chronologically and thematically; identifies the resulting tensions; and examines their internal consistency, with the aim of determining the structure and contemporary relevance of Arendt’s understanding of law for current debates in legal philosophy and legal theory.
Legal Philosophy & Political Theory
Reconstruction of the concept of law in Hannah Arendt’s writings; contextualization; chronological and thematic analysis; examination of coherence; relations to rightlessness, constitutional law and fundamental rights, criminal law, public international law, the right to have rights, international criminal law, case law, legal principles, and culpability; determination of relevance for debates in legal philosophy and legal theory.
Intellectual History & Democratic Theory
Historical and systematic reconstruction of the concepts of thinking and judging, and analysis of their political role in liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes.
Legal Text Analysis & Academic Writing
Linguistic analyses, writing workshops, and teaching formats at the intersection of language, law, and legal methodology.
Research
Dissertation
The Concept of Law: A Critical Examination of the Concept of Law across Hannah Arendt’s Entire Oeuvre
The dissertation systematically investigates the concept of law in Hannah Arendt’s oeuvre. Although Arendt articulates neither a single, unified concept of law nor a coherent legal theory, her engagement with legal questions runs throughout her oeuvre. In five successive analytical steps, Arendt’s statements on law are contextualized, analyzed chronologically and thematically, and examined for internal tensions and conceptual ambiguities. The aim is to delineate the structural patterns of her understanding of law and to determine its relevance for current debates in legal philosophy and legal theory. In doing so, the dissertation contributes to the systematic elucidation of Arendt’s legal thought and to the legal and philosophical reception of her work.
Publications
In Preparation
- SCHWAB, LEA, „Böses Denken“ – ein Kategorienfehler. Der Begriff des Bösen bei Bettina Stangneth oder Der Versuch einer philosophischen Sprengung, in: KERKMANN, JAN/PRETZSCH, MORITZ (Hrsg.), Philosophie des Bösen, Berlin/New York: De Gruyter 2026 (=Grundbegriffe des Menschseins. Philosophische Perspektiven, Bd. 4) (in preparation).
- SCHWAB, LEA, The Concept Lives: Fichte’s Theory of the Concept Between Systematic Thought and Historicity, in: NUZZO, ANGELICA/ZÖLLER, GÜNTER/ZHANG, LEKSA/SCHÄFER, GREGOR (eds.), Fichte’s Political Philosophy and Philosophy of History, 2026 (in preparation).
- SCHWAB, LEA, Rezension: HERKERT, FELIX/KERKMANN, JAN/SAILER, DAVID MANOLO/VOIGT, RÜDIGER (eds.), Politischer Realismus II. Zur ideengeschichtlichen und geopolitischen Entfaltung in der Moderne, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2025 (=Politisches Denken in Europa // Political Thought in Europe), in: Archiv für Rechts- und Sozialphilosophie, 2026 (in preparation).
- SCHWAB, LEA, Recht und Macht im Denken Hannah Arendts. Zur Substanz politischer Legitimität, in: KERKMANN, JAN/SAILER, DAVID MANOLO (eds.), Politischer Idealismus. Beiträge zur ideengeschichtlichen Grundlegung der Normativität, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2025 (=Politisches Denken in Europa // Political Thought in Europe) (submitted).
Published
- SCHWAB, LEA, Sprache und Recht. E-Learning Template der Universität Zürich Version 1.0, Zurich, 2019 (as an ELT script).
- SCHWAB, LEA, Sprache und Recht. E-Learning Template der Universität Zürich Version 1.0, Zurich, 2019 (as an online application).
- SCHWAB, LEA, Rezension: SCHROEDER, KLAUS-PETER, Eine Universität für Juristen und von Juristen. Die Heidelberger Juristische Fakultät im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert (Tübingen 2010), in: forum historiae iuris, December 20, 2018, available online, URL: https://forhistiur.net/2018-08-schwab/?l=de (last accessed on August 3, 2025).
- SCHWAB, LEA, Rezension: SCHROEDER, KLAUS-PETER, Eine Universität für Juristen und von Juristen. Die Heidelberger Juristische Fakultät im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert (Tübingen 2010), in: Historischer Verein der Pfalz e.V. (ed.), Rezensionen, 2017, now only available online here, URL: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/140554/ (last accessed on August 3, 2025).
- THIER, ANDREAS/SCHWAB, LEA (eds.), 1914, Zurich: vdf Hochschulverlag, 2018, available online, URL: https://vdf.ch/1914.html (last accessed on August 3, 2025).
Manuscripts
- SCHWAB, LEA, Das Wesen des Denkens. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Wesen des Denkens in der Publikation «Vom Leben des Geistes. Das Denken. Das Wollen» von Hannah Arendt, Master’s thesis in Practical Philosophy and Ethics, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2023.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Die Wertsetzungs- und Wertschätzungstheorie des Bösen: Nietzsche, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2023.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Tod Gottes bei Nietzsche: Welcher Gott stirbt? Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2022.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Der Begriff bei Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2022.
- SCHWAB, LEA, (Todes-)Strafe bei Hannah Arendt, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Die Negation als Erkenntnisraum in der Philosophie unter Befragung von Gottlob Frege und Paul Watzlawick, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Der zweifache Nichtbegriff der Wahrheit bei Gottlob Frege, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Das Urteilen bei Gottlob Frege, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Das Böse bei Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff des Bösen im Denken Sigmund Freuds, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Der zivile Ungehorsam bei Hannah Arendt. Ein philosophischer Streifschuss, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Prekärer Ruhestand von Frauen im Kapitalismus, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2021.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Der Antisemitismus als Bedrohung der liberalen Demokratie, Munich: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2020.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Die Befreiung der Sprache aus dem Funktionalitätsdiktat. Eine vergleichende sprachwissenschaftliche Analyse der Sprache Hannah Arendts in «Elemente und Ursprünge totaler Herrschaft», «Der Liebesbegriff bei Augustin» und ausgewählten Gedichten, Master’s thesis in Political Philosophy, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2018.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Lebensende in Japan und in der Schweiz, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2018.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Sprache und Recht. Eine vergleichende sprachwissenschaftliche Analyse des Ausdrucks der «ununterbrochenen Legitimationskette» bzw. «demokratischen Legitimation» in Deutschland und der Schweiz, Master’s thesis in Political Philosophy, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2017.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Transplantationsmedizin, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2017.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Der Zusammenhang von Tierschutzdelinquenz und Gewaltbereitschaft gegen Menschen, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2017.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Hans Kelsens «Reine Rechtslehre» und seine Schrift zur «Illusion der Gerechtigkeit» sowie seine Kritik an Platon, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2014.
- SCHWAB, LEA, Die Ätiologie des Serienmords oder warum Menschen zu Serienmördern werden, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2013.
Research Visits
- Research visit at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Research visit at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany
- Research visit at the Hannah Arendt Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, USA, as well as at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, New York City, NY, USA
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- Award: Recipient of the Faculty of Law Early-Career Funding, University of Zurich, Spring Semester 2018
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- London Critical Theory Summer School, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, University of London, UK
Scientific events (selection)
Academic Participation
The Future of Democracy in Authoritarian Times,
symposium by the Hannah Arendt-Verein für politisches Denken e.V. in cooperation with the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungen Bund und Bremen and the Bremer Volkshochschule, Bamberger Haus, Bremen, Germany
Academic Participation
Award Ceremony for the 2025 Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought, honoring Seyla Benhabib, award presentation by the Hannah Arendt-Verein für politisches Denken e.V. in cooperation with the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftungen Bund und Bremen and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Bremen Town Hall, Bremen, Germany
Academic Participation
A Day for Hannah Arendt – Understanding What Is,
event by the Internationale Hannah Arendt Gesellschaft e.V. (IHAG) in collaboration with Bard College Berlin and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Berlin, Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin, Germany
Workshop Talk
The Concept Lives: Fichte’s Theory of the Concept Between Systematic Thought and Historicity, Fichte’s Political Philosophy and Philosophy of History, New York German Idealism Workshop, New School for Social Research, New York City, NY, USA, New York City, NY, USA
Academic Participation
Komposition trifft Philosophie – Freiheit und Gesetz, workshop at the Philosophische Akademie München für Wissenschaft und Kunst, Germany
Scholarly Commentary
Scholarly Commentary on Prof. Liam Kofi Bright’s talk “As Applied by Someone Who Half Understood and Doesn’t Really Care”, Inter-University Colloquium, Department of Philosophy, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Conference Talk
Radikalität und Banalität des Bösen: Arendts moral- und rechtsphilosophische Reflexionen über den Nationalsozialismus, 12th Conference on Practical Philosophy, panel "Nationalsozialismus, Moral, Philosophie", University of Passau, Germany
Conference Talk
«Böses Denken» – ein Kategorienfehler, online conference Philosophie des Bösen, University of Freiburg and University of Kassel, Germany
Colloquium Talk
Radikalität und Banalität des Bösen: Arendts moral- und rechtsphilosophische Reflexionen über den Nationalsozialismus, online colloquium Nationalsozialismus, Moral, Philosophie, Forschungsnetzwerk Nationalsozialismus, Moral, Philosophie
Colloquium Talk
Der Begriff des Rechts. Eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff des Rechts im Gesamtwerk Hannah Arendts, doctoral colloquium, Prof. Dr. Michael Bastian Weiß, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Academic Participation
Accountability and its Practices in Law and Philosophy, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Academic Participation
Hannah Arendt: In Conversation with Thomas Meyer and Lyndsey Stonebridge, Centre for Intellectual History, University of Oxford, UK
Academic Participation
UB&LERU Workshops on Doctoral Supervision, University of Barcelona, Spain
Joint Talk
Kley, Andreas/Schwab, Lea, E-Learning Template Sprache und Recht / Konzept für eine Schreibwerkstatt für Juristen, colloquium Sprache & Recht, ZHAW School of Management and Law, Winterthur, Switzerland
Joint Talk
Kley, Andreas/Schwab, Lea, «Sprache ist Risiko». Zu den Möglichkeiten der linguistischen Analyse von rechtswissenschaftlichen Texten, colloquium Sprache & Recht, organized by the German Department and the Center for Legislative Studies, German Department, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Teaching
- Formal Requirements and Guidelines for the Dissertation, University of Zurich, 7th Retreat of the PhD Program Clinical Science, Fall Semester 2024.
- Process and Requirements in the Graduation Procedure, University of Zurich, 6th Retreat of the PhD Program Clinical Science, Fall Semester 2023.
- Review, Future Outlook, and Key Regulations for the PhD Program Clinical Science, University of Zurich, 5th Retreat of the PhD Program Clinical Science, Fall Semester 2022.
- Key Regulations for the PhD Program Clinical Science, University of Zurich, 4th Retreat of the PhD Program Clinical Science, Fall Semester 2021.
- Instructor, Doktorandenkolloquium Schreibwerkstatt für Doktoranden der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Zürich, Spring Semester 2020, together with Prof. Dr. rer. publ. Dr. iur. h. c. Andreas Kley.
- BGE 143 I 211. Textsortenanalyse nach Klein und Stilanalyse nach Walter, Staatsphilosophie (Master) und Doktorandenkolloquium Schreibwerkstatt für Doktoranden der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Zürich, Spring Semester 2019.
- Beispiele wissenschaftlicher Sprache II: Walter, Hans Peter, Präzision – die Sprache und die Juristen. Textsortenanalyse nach Klein, Josef und Stilanalyse nach Walter, Tonio, Staatsphilosophie (Master), Spring Semester 2018.
- BGE 143 I 211 und BVerfG, Beschl. v. 24.5.1995, 2 BvF 1/92. Textsortenanalyse nach Klein, Josef und Stilanalyse nach Walter, Tonio, Staatsphilosophie (Master), Spring Semester 2018.
Curriculum Vitae
Higher Education
- Doctoral Studies in Law, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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- Working title of the dissertation: The Concept of Law: A Critical Examination of the Concept of Law across Hannah Arendt’s Entire Oeuvre
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- Studies in Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
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- Degree: M.A. (06/2023), very good
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- Studies in Law, University of Zurich and University of Fribourg, Switzerland
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- Degree: MLaw (10/2018), summa cum laude
- Awards: Ranked first in the MLaw UZH cohort, scholarship recipient of the Familien-Vontobel-Stiftung
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- Orientation Semester in Interdisciplinary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
School Education
- Attended Aloisiuskolleg, a Jesuit-run secondary school and boarding school, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany
- Award: Oswald von Nell-Breuning Scholarship
- Qualification: Abitur
- Attended Canisius-Kolleg, a Jesuit-run secondary school, Berlin, Germany
- Qualification: Mittlerer Schulabschluss
- Attended the Jewish Primary School, Berlin, Germany
Professional Experience
Academia | Universities
- Current: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Chair of Theoretical Philosophy, Research Associate with and Regular Participant in the M.A. and PhD colloquium of apl. Prof. Dr. phil. Michael Bastian Weiß
- Current: Establishing the Hannah Arendt Institute for Law, Politics, Philosophy, and Art, based in Switzerland (in formation, 2025/2026)
- University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine, Scientific Coordinator, PhD Program Clinical Science
- University of Zurich, Institute of Law, Chair of Regulation in Law, Medicine and Technology, Research Associate to Prof. Dr. iur. et Dr. med. Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, LL.M. (SNSF NRP 77 Digital Transformation)
- University of Zurich, Institute of Law, Chair of Public Law, Constitutional History, and Philosophy of State and Law, Research Associate to Prof. Dr. rer. publ. Dr. iur. h. c. Andreas Kley
- University of Zurich, Institute of Law, Chair of Public Law, Constitutional History, and Philosophy of State and Law, Student Research Assistant to Prof. Dr. rer. publ. Dr. iur. h. c. Andreas Kley
- University of Zurich, Institute of Law, Chair of Legal History, Canon Law, Legal Theory, and Private Law, Student Research Assistant to Prof. Dr. Andreas Thier, M.A.
Judiciary
- District Court of Zurich, Judicial Traineeship
- Public Prosecutor’s Office Zurich-Limmat, Legal Internship
- District Court of Dielsdorf, Legal Internship
- Regional Court of Karlsruhe, Legal Internship
Private Sector
- Credit Suisse, Zurich, Financial Crime Compliance Officer
- Boss & Young, Shanghai, Legal Internship
- Homburger AG, Zurich, Assistant
- Global Arena AG, Zurich, Assistant to the CEO and Administrative Officer
- Swiss-Japanese Chamber of Commerce (SJCC), Zurich, Assistant to the Managing Director
- Peyrot & Schlegel, Zurich and Buchs, Assistant and Intern
Culture
- Current: Art Association ARTHINKING – KUNSTDENKEN, Board Secretary and Legal Counsel
- Establishment of the Hannah Arendt Institute for Law, Politics, Philosophy, and Art
- Curatorial Direction of the Research «Junges Denken»
- Schauspielhaus Zürich, production directed by Frank Castorf, Internship
- Spiegel TV Online, Berlin, Newsroom Internship
Memberships
Partner
Contact
