Maxime Lepoutre is an Associate Professor in Political Theory at the University of Reading. His work explores the norms that should govern political discourse in deeply divided democracies, with particular emphasis on challenges posed by anger, hate speech, and falsehoods. His first book, Democratic Speech in Divided Times (OUP, 2021) was awarded the 2023 ECPR Political Theory Prize for best first book in political theory. He is also the recipient of a 2024 Philip Leverhulme Prize.