ERNESTO VERDEJA

Ernesto Verdeja teaches political theory in the Department of Government and is a tutor in the College of Social Studies. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the New School for Social Research (2005), his M.A. (political science) from the New School for Social Research (1998) and his B.A. (government and philosophy) from the University of Texas at Austin (1995).

Professor Verdeja's teaching interests are in modern and contemporary political theory, critical theory and the Frankfurt School, and political violence, genocide and reconciliation. His research interests include large-scale violence, genocide, transitional justice, reconciliation and critical theory. 

He has published on theories of forgiveness, reparations, genocide, truth commissions, tribunals and the rights of non-citizens post-9/11. He is currently completing a book manuscript on reconciliation in societies emerging from a recent history of mass violence.

Professor Verdeja is a board member of the Institute for the Study of Genocide, and a member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Latin American Studies Association, the Association for Political Theory and the American Political Science Association.

Professor Verdeja received the Carol A. Baker ’81 Memorial Prize for excellence in research and teaching in the social sciences at Wesleyan, and the Caleb T. Winchester Scholar-Teacher Award from Psi Upsilon (Wesleyan Chapter). His dissertation received the Hannah Arendt Award in Politics (New School for Social Research) and was nominated for the Leo Strauss Award in Political Theory (American Political Science Association).

In addition to his academic interests he plays guitar and hopes to add a jazz hollowbody to his small collection, which includes a Fender Stratocaster Ultra electric and a Guild F5-12 12-string acoustic.

For the 2007-08 academic year, Professor Verdeja will be on sabbatical at the University of Notre Dame. He will hold a joint appointment as a visiting research fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Movements and Social Change, and the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

Phone 860-685-2388