David Azerrad — Person

Key Facts

Type

Person

Sector

academic

Industry

political science

Status

Draft

Country

United States

Nationality

CanadaUnited States

Birth Date

Not specified

Death Date

Not specified

Sex

Male

Website

https://dc.hillsdale.edu/Profiles/David-Azerrad https://www.heritage.org/staff/david-azerrad

david.azerrad@gmail.com

Phone

202-427-....

Also Known As

No alternate names

Background

David Azerrad is a native of Montreal, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is a conservative political theorist specializing in classical liberalism, conservative political thought, progressivism, identity politics, libertarianism, and the American Founding.

Education

B.A. in journalism and political science from Concordia University.
M.A. in political science from Carleton University.
Ph.D. in politics from the University of Dallas.

Career

Current Position

Assistant Professor and Research Fellow, Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Washington, D.C. (joined October 2019).

Previous Positions

Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics, The Heritage Foundation (ended circa 2019).
AWC Family Foundation Fellow, The Heritage Foundation.
Instructor, American University.
Instructor, University of Dallas.

He has published in outlets including The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues, Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy, The Claremont Review of Books, National Affairs, and The Times (London). Notable works include "Revitalizing the Right" (2023) and "The Promises and Perils of Identity Politics" (2019).

Courses taught: Political Thought and Literature II, American Progressivism and Liberalism, Tocqueville, Rousseau’s Political Teaching, etc.

Controversies

In April 2022, Azerrad gave a lecture titled "Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria" at Saint Vincent College, sparking backlash and accusations of racism from students and administrators. The college faced criticism and adopted a new speaker policy in response.

Personal Life

Married to Erielle Azerrad, a conservative commentator (@politicalelle on X).

Key Relationships

Thomas G. West

mentor

West was Azerrad's professor at the University of Dallas and recommended him for the Claremont Institute's Publius Fellowship. They now teach together at Hillsdale, co-authoring the online course 'The Real American Founding: A Conversation.' West's influence is evident in Azerrad's scholarly focus on natural rights philosophy and the 'matter' versus 'form' of the American Founding, as Azerrad cited West's 'The Political Theory of the American Founding' as formative reading in his Claremont interview.

Since 2011

Bradley C.S. Watson

colleague

Watson organized the April 2022 Saint Vincent College conference 'Politics, Policy, and Panic: Governing in Times of Crisis' and invited Azerrad to speak, resulting in the 'Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria' controversy. Following the backlash, Watson resigned from Saint Vincent and joined Hillsdale's D.C. faculty in summer 2022, becoming Azerrad's colleague. Watson described himself as an 'intellectual refugee' and his story parallels Azerrad's experience of institutional backlash.

Since 2022

Erielle Azerrad

spouse

Erielle Azerrad is married to David Azerrad. She maintains a significant social media presence as a conservative commentator (@politicalelle), frequently posting about political issues, media criticism, and cultural topics. Her online platform amplifies conservative messaging and creates a family-based media presence that complements her husband's academic and policy work.

John Marini

friend

Azerrad cited Marini as a formative influence during his Claremont Publius Fellowship, specifically mentioning watching 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence' with Marini and the impact of Marini's analysis on his thinking. Despite Marini's efforts, Azerrad admitted he never became a devotee of 'The Searchers,' revealing a personal, informal mentoring relationship beyond formal academic structures.

Since 2007

Kim R. Holmes

supervised

Holmes served as Senior Vice President of Research at Heritage during Azerrad's tenure as Director of the Simon Center. Holmes publicly praised Azerrad in 2017, stating 'David richly deserves the American Legion's National Education Award. He is one of the most thoughtful and persuasive advocates for the regime of ordered liberty established by our Founders.' This supervisory relationship placed Azerrad under one of Heritage's most senior foreign policy intellectuals.

John G. Malcolm

colleague

Malcolm worked alongside Azerrad at Heritage, where he served as Vice President of the Institute for Constitutional Government while Azerrad directed the Simon Center. Malcolm praised Azerrad's commitment to founding principles, stating 'Rarely have I met anybody as passionate about and committed to this country's founding principles as David Azerrad.' This places Azerrad within Heritage's legal and constitutional advocacy network.

Recent Events

Published 'Revitalizing the Right'

Notable work published

1/1/2023

Gave lecture 'Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria' at Saint Vincent College

Lecture sparked backlash and accusations of racism from students and administrators

4/1/2022

Launch of the Center for the American Way of Life

Claremont Institute announced the launch of the Center for the American Way of Life with David Azerrad as director.

1/1/2021

Appointed Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government

Started position as Assistant Professor and Research Fellow

10/1/2019

National Conservatism Conference I

David Azerrad delivered a speech titled 'The Crisis of the American Regime' as part of the inaugural National Conservatism conference organized by the Edmund Burke Foundation.

7/15/2019