The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences announces the death of Associate Professor Alin Fumurescu, who died unexpectedly May 11. He was 57.
Fumurescu, a scholar specializing in political philosophy and the history of political thought, taught at the University of Houston for 11 years. He gained international recognition for his research examining compromise in Western political theory and was known as an inspiring educator who encouraged students to connect classical texts with modern life.
Fumurescu's research focused on how different conceptions of personal identity shape attitudes toward political compromise. He explored the relationship between people's private beliefs and their public personas, arguing that cultures valuing inner authenticity often reject compromise as a form of betrayal, while societies emphasizing public roles view it as essential for resolving conflicts.
Fumurescu received the American Political Science Association's Leo Strauss Award in 2013 for outstanding doctoral work in political philosophy. Cambridge University Press published his book "Compromise: A Political and Philosophical History" in 2013, earning recognition from CHOICE magazine as one of the year's top 25 academic publications. His follow-up work, "Compromise and the American Founding: The Quest for the People's Two Bodies," appeared in 2019 from the same publisher.
He published also research in academic journals such as the European Journal of Political Theory, Studia Europaea and Political Research Quarterly. Fumurescu was completing a third book examining shame in Western political thought when he died.
"Alin was an affable and engaging interlocutor, and very funny," said Jeffrey Church, political science department chair. "He had a story to illustrate all his points from his life in several countries and from his time under communism in Eastern Europe. Alin loved teaching, not only to pass along the classics to the new generation, but to get students to apply the insights of political theory to their lives and to the present."
A native of Romania, Fumurescu studied medicine and philosophy in Cluj before moving to the United States more than 20 years ago. After Romania's 1989 revolution, he worked in journalism, leading publications including NU, Ziua de Nord-Vest and Ziarul de Cluj. Throughout his academic career, he maintained ties to Romanian intellectual circles.
From 2022 to 2023, Fumurescu held a fellowship at UH's Center for Ethics and Public Affairs, continuing his scholarship on political representation and American political thought.
Students knew Fumurescu for his creative teaching methods. His signature assignment asked undergraduates to "apply any text from this course to any aspect of your life," encouraging them to find personal relevance in theoretical works.
"The University of Houston Department of Political Science and the broader academic community have lost a scholar of exceptional talent and a teacher of rare dedication," said Daniel P. O'Connor, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. "Dr. Fumurescu's work on compromise and political representation will continue to influence political theory for generations to come."
Faculty colleagues described Fumurescu as a learned thinker who bridged European intellectual traditions with American political culture. They recalled his warm personality, humor and talent for using personal anecdotes from his international background and experience under communist rule to illuminate complex ideas.
Fumurescu leaves behind his wife, three children and one grandchild.