David Smith

David Smith is an Associate Professor of American Politics and Foreign Policy, holding a joint appointment between the United States Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney. He obtained his PhD in political science from the University of Michigan and his BA from the University of Sydney. Smith joined the University of Sydney in 2011 as a lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre, progressing to his current associate professorship. His research focuses on political relations between states and minorities, with particular attention to the role of religion in the United States. This includes examinations of religious persecution, political order, and the intersections of religion, politics, and public policy.

Smith's key publication is the book Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States, published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. His peer-reviewed articles include ‘The Unhealthy Other’: How vaccine rejecting parents construct the vaccinating mainstream (2018), Parenting as politics: social identity theory and vaccine hesitant communities (2017), Support for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the face of safety concerns and political affiliations: An Australian study (2022), and American evangelicals and domestic versus international climate policy (2014). These works explore themes of social identity, vaccine hesitancy, political affiliations, and evangelical perspectives on climate issues. Smith contributes to academic discourse through his ORCID identifier 0000-0001-6114-..., reflecting a body of scholarly output in political science. He engages in public-facing scholarship, delivering lectures such as on historical topics at University events and providing commentary on contemporary US political developments including presidential elections, policy shifts, and democratic institutions as featured in University of Sydney publications.

Professional Email: david.smith@sydney.edu.au