Adam Hilton

Adam Hilton is an Associate Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, specializing in American political development through the lens of parties, movements, and political entrepreneurs. He holds a PhD and MA from York University and a BA from Evergreen State College.

• Research Focus: Interactions between social movements and political parties as co-evolutionary forces
• Current Projects: Parties, Power, and Change (co-edited book, 2025); Explaining the Great Divergence (monograph in progress)

His 2021 book True Blues redefines party dynamics as "contentious institutions" shaped by conflicts between reformers and elites. Recent publications examine post-election analyses (2020-2021), polarization origins (2019), and party democratization efforts (2017-2018).

• Scientific Award: 2022 Centennial Grant from American Political Science Association
• Teaching: Courses on American Political Development, Inequality, and Election Systems