Stephen E. Hanson is a political scientist and academic known for his expertise in post-communist politics, Russian political development, and comparative democratization. He is the Lettie Pate Evans Professor in the Department of Government at the College of William & Mary, where he also serves as Vice Provost for International Affairs and Director of the Reves Center for International Studies. Hanson has authored influential works such as Post-Imperial Democracies and co-authored Ideology and National Identity in Post-Communist Political Cultures. His research and teaching have earned recognition for bridging theory and real-world political change in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.