| Janet Ajzenstat | |
| Spouse: | Samuel Ajzenstat (died 2013) |
| Thesis Title: | The Political Thought of Lord Durham |
| Thesis Year: | 1979 |
| Doctoral Advisor: | Peter H. Russell |
| Influences: | Allan Bloom |
| Discipline: | Political science |
| Workplaces: | McMaster University |
Janet Ajzenstat (born 1936) is professor emeritus of political science at McMaster University. The author of numerous works on Canadian political history, she is best known for The Political Thought of Lord Durham, where she argues that Durham's call for French-Canadian assimilation was consistent with liberal principles.
Her view of Canadian federalism, which dismisses the idea of special status for Quebec or Indigenous people, provoked much scholarly debate, especially following the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord.[1] Ajzenstat also contends that so-called “judicial activism” undercuts the foundation of responsible government;[2] as a result, her work is well received by conservative scholars, such as Barry Cooper and Stephen Harper's former chief of staff Ian Brodie.[3]
Ajzenstat received her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Toronto under the supervision of Peter H. Russell. While a doctoral student, she was a teaching assistant for Allan Bloom's introductory political philosophy course. She has described Bloom as a major influence on her own thought.[4]
As an undergraduate at University College, University of Toronto, Ajzenstat majored in art and archeology. Following graduation in 1959, she worked at the Art Gallery of Ontario, only turning to political science in the mid-1960s. She is married to philosopher and fellow McMaster professor Samuel Ajzenstat. Their daughter, Oona Eisenstadt, is a professor of Jewish studies at Pomona College. Their son, Sandor Ajzenstat, is a Canadian artist specializing in what is known as Soundsculpture.
She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).