Dax D'Orazio
Peacock Post-Doctoral Fellow of Pedagogy
He/Him
PhD Political Science (University of Alberta); MA Political Economy (Carleton University); BA Public Affairs and Policy Management (Carleton University)
Political Studies
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Research Interests
The philosophy, politics, and policy of free expression; academic freedom; the politics of higher education; access to information; political theory and philosophy; law and legal studies; law and politics
Brief Biography
Dax D'Orazio is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Studies at Queen's University. His research is primarily focused on the philosophy, politics, and policy of free expression. His doctoral dissertation was an analysis of the alleged 'crisis' of free expression on Canadian university campuses. A multidimensional approach to the politics of free expression, his project included theoretical understandings of free expression and harm, the theory and practice of ‘de-platforming,’ the history of free expression on campus in a comparative context, and analysis of provincial higher education policy. As a qualitative researcher, his mixed-method approach typically includes literature reviews, case studies, semi-structured interviews, and freedom of information requests. His doctoral dissertation research was recently the subject of a National Post article written by Joseph Brean ("The 'feedback loop' that pits students against politicians in the campus free speech crisis").
His current research project examines the law and politics of extending constitutional protections for expression (i.e. the Charter) to university campuses, which responds to some developments in law and policy that occurred during the course of his doctoral research. Additional research projects include the history of stand-up comedy in battles over free expression and a book about the politics of free expression on campus (under contract with the University of Toronto Press). His research and writing can also be found in various non-academic and current affairs venues, including blogs, newspapers, and websites. He blogs at the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University and is a member of its Working Group on Academic Freedom. Passionate about free expression, academic freedom, and the public's right to know, he is a tireless advocate for robust public discourse and public intellectualism. You can learn more about his research, teaching, and writing here: www.daxdorazio.com
Teaching
POLS 422 Public Opinion (Fall 2023)
Selected Publications
2020. “Contemporary Campus Controversy and the Conceptual Elasticity of Harm.” Canadian Journal of Political Science. 53 (4): 755-776.
2021 [Forthcoming]. “Deplatforming in Theory and Practice: The Ann Coulter Debacle at the University of Ottawa.” In Emmett Macfarlane (Ed.), Dilemmas of Free Expression (Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press).
2021 [Revision in Progress]. "Free Expression and the 'Campus Crisis Feedback Loop:' How the Chicago Principles Came to Canada." American Review of Canadian Studies.