Nevin Aiken, Assistant Professor, Political Science and Global & Area StudiesB.A., Political Science, University of Western Ontario, 2003; M.A., 2004; Ph.D., Political Science, University of British Columbia, 2010
Research Interests:
Transitional justice;
peace & conflict studies; genocide; human rights; human security; identity
politics; ethnicity and nationalism
Nevin Aiken’s current research focuses on the impact of transitional
justice interventions on processes of post-conflict reconciliation in deeply
divided societies. The project he
recently completed used the lens of group identity to examine the relationship
between transitional justice and reconciliation in the case studies of Northern
Ireland and South Africa, with findings drawn from several months of field
research (including the collection of 85 expert interviews). Nevin’s upcoming research will take the theoretical
insights from this previous work and use them to explore the impact of the
various international, national, and local criminal justice interventions
implemented in post-genocide Rwanda on ongoing processes of reconciliation
between Hutu and Tutsi populations.
Nevin’s work has previously appeared in the International Journal of Transitional Justice, Human Security Journal, and
Peace Research.
In addition to his work within the field of transitional justice, Nevin’s research interests include the social and psychological dynamics of conflict and peacebuilding, particularly in terms of the genesis of acts of mass atrocity (such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other gross human rights violations) as well as the processes by which societies can recover from such violence. In 2008, Nevin was asked to participate as a consultant on the psycho-social aspects of post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation at the Expert Group Meeting held by the Bureau for Crisis Prevention Recovery (BCPR) of the United Nations Development Program in Accra, Ghana.
At UW, Nevin will be teaching courses for both Political
Science and the Global & Area Studies program on international relations,
transitional justice, peace and conflict studies, human rights, and human
security. Prior to joining the
University of Wyoming, Nevin worked as a Visiting Research Fellow with The
Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California,
Irvine. Nevin received his BA in
Political Science from the University of Western Ontario in 2003; his MA in
Political Science from the University of Western Ontario in 2004; and his PhD
in Political Science from the University of British Columbia in 2010. Over the course of his doctorate, Nevin’s
research was awarded a Canadian Consortium on Human Security Research
Fellowship, a Canada Graduate Doctoral Scholarship from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada, and a Security and Defense Forum
Doctoral Scholarship from the Canadian Department of National Defense.
Courses Taught at UW:
POLS/INST 2310 – Introduction to International Relations
POLS 4870/5870 – Transitional Justice
Recent Publications:
‘Learning to Live Together: Transitional Justice and Intergroup
Reconciliation in Northern Ireland,’ International
Journal of Transitional Justice 4.2 (2010): 166-188.
‘The (Re)Construction of a Culture of Human Rights: Transitional Justice and Human Security,’ Human Security Journal 8 (Spring 2009).
‘Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and the Politics of Identity: Insights for Restoration and Reconciliation in Transitional Justice,’ Peace Research: The Canadian Journal of Peace & Conflict Studies 40.2 (2008).
‘Justice in Transition: A Review of Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law by Mark A. Drumbl,’ H-Net Human Rights: Humanities and Social Sciences Online (December 2008).
