David Campbell, a political science professor and director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Founded in 1780, the Academy was established by 60 revolutionary figures including John Adams and John Hancock, who, according to the Academy’s website, “understood that a new republic would require institutions able to gather knowledge and advance learning in service to the public good.” The Academy has since welcomed more than 14,500 members, described as leaders in the arts, business and sciences as well as public affairs and philanthropy. These members inform public policy through prominent studies.
Campbell referred to his appointment to the Academy as a “landmark” of his career. Campbell came to Notre Dame as faculty in 2002.
“It is humbling to see your name listed among such luminaries,” Campbell said. “It is also gratifying to think that the work that I’ve done has been recognized by my peers.”
Before his election, Campbell had already done work with the Academy as a member of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. This bipartisan commission published a report titled “Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century,” which included 31 recommendations to “strengthen America’s institutions and civic culture to help a nation in crisis emerge with a more resilient democracy,” the Academy’s website states.
Campbell explained that the recommendations focused on areas such as civic education, reform of democratic institutions, rebuilding civic society and attention to higher education. Campbell contributed to the report on higher education.
As for his future with the Academy, Campbell hopes to continue the work of promoting democracy within society. He said, “I do look forward to further work in that area, both with the Academy as an institution, but also with other Academy members, because this is a topic of great concern for many of us.”
Campbell noted the Academy is special given its lack of any ideological or organizational ties, which allows the Academy to incorporate a wide range of perspectives into their research, not limited by academic discipline, university faculty or political affiliation.
He recently released a book with fellow political science professor Christina Wolbrecht, titled “See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People.” They found that when women run for office, teenage girls become more politically engaged, and a number of boys shift their attitudes regarding the role of women in society, thereby reversing internalized sexism.
When asked about the current state of democracy in America and the advice he would give to college-aged individuals feeling discouraged, Campbell reiterated what he told his section of his course Keeping The Republic in a recent lecture.
“We are living through strange times,” he said. “We’re seeing lots of things happening both here in the United States and worldwide that are unprecedented.”
While this may sound discouraging, Campbell noted that history gives reason for optimism, stating, “In the past, when the country has faced these kinds of challenges, the country has actually come through those often better off because people of goodwill got together and said, things aren’t working. We need to try something new.”
Shifting his focus to the present, Campbell continued, “We are in a period where many people are sitting around saying things are not working. And so we have a choice collectively as a society to say, well, are we just going to give up? Or are we going to do what Americans have done in the past and try to rebuild a better civil society? And I think if we’re going to build a better civil society, Notre Dame students should be a part of that conversation.”
Campbell expressed that Notre Dame students are well prepared to engage in productive dialogue, stating, “We have a very ideologically diverse student body, and I think that’s to our credit. I think it trains our students, gives them experience in what it means to interact with people who maybe come from a different part of the country, maybe have different views than they do, maybe have a different political perspective and yet nonetheless can rally around a common cause.”
