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New York University, Ph.D., Politics (2024); M.A., Politics (2021)

McGill University, M.A., Political Science (2019)

University of Waterloo, B.E.S., Urban Planning and Political Science (2016)

Mark Williamson's research sits at the intersection of political behaviour, public opinion, and race, settler colonialism, and politics. He studies how information shapes people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours, with a specific interest in how they update their views toward outgroups. Focusing primarily on Canada and the United States, Dr. Williamson’s work explores how members of dominant groups think about historical injustices committed against others in the past. He employs a range of research designs and data sources, including experiments, surveys, observational data, and text-as-data methods.

• Axis 1: Learning Democratic Citizenship - Cet axe se concentre sur l’acquisition de valeurs, d’attitudes et de comportements qui contribuent à une citoyenneté démocratique dynamique. La démocratie repose fondamentalement sur le principe de l’égalité politique, mais dans la pratique, le désavantage économique et social se traduit par un accès inégal au pouvoir politique et à la prise de décision (Schlozman et al 2012). L’inégalité a de profondes implications pour l’inclusion, la réactivité et, en fin de compte, la légitimité même de notre système démocratique. L’inégalité croissante détruit les fondements de la démocratie, entraînant une polarisation politique accrue et une désaffection de la politique (Kwon 2015). Plus que jamais, les démocraties efficaces exigent des citoyens engagés, responsables et bien informés. Comprendre les facteurs qui influent sur le développement de ce type de citoyenneté démocratique active est un objectif clé de l’axe 1.
• Axis 2: Practicing Democratic Citizenship - The practice of democratic citizenship is undergoing a multifaceted transition. There are fundamental changes in conceptions of democratic citizenship and in its practice as well as the targets of citizen action. Scepticism about representative democracy as a system of governance is growing and citizens across established democracies are withdrawing from politics. Their perception about the political world is impacted by transformations in the news media practices and by online content, including social media. Voting and party politics have been the basis of conventional interpretations of citizenship, but there is ample evidence that this conception is much too limited. New forms of communication are providing citizens with novel ways to gather information and to engage in politics.