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| Scott Straus | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scott Straus |
| Occupation | Political scientist, historian, professor |
| Employer | University of California, Berkeley |
| Alma mater | Harvard University; University of Michigan |
Scott Straus is an American political scientist and historian specializing in genocide, ethnic violence, and African politics. He is a professor known for research on the Rwandan genocide, mass atrocity, and comparative genocide studies, and for contributions to transitional justice, reconciliation, and political violence prevention. Straus’s work bridges academic scholarship and policy debates, engaging with scholars, practitioners, and international institutions.
Straus earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and completed graduate study at the University of Michigan. During his doctoral training he worked with scholars associated with African Studies Association, Political Science Research, and comparative politics networks that include faculty from University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and Georgetown University. His early research involved fieldwork in Rwanda and other parts of East Africa informed by methodologies promoted by programs at Oxford University and Cambridge University.
Straus joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley where he holds appointments in departments that intersect with faculties at Princeton University, Stanford University, and Columbia University through visiting scholar exchanges and collaborative projects. He has been affiliated with research centers such as the Center for Genocide Studies, the Human Rights Center, and the Committee on International Relations at multiple institutions. Straus has served on advisory boards for initiatives linked to United Nations agencies, Amnesty International, and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Straus’s research has focused on causes and consequences of mass violence, patterns of perpetration, and processes of post-conflict justice and reconciliation. He developed influential arguments about the role of political elites, local institutions, and militia networks in episodes such as the 1994 events in Rwanda and conflicts in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Sudan. His comparative work engages cases including the Holocaust, the Bosnian War, and the Cambodian genocide, linking field-based evidence to debates in scholarship associated with Genocide Studies Program and comparative politics literatures from Harvard Kennedy School and London School of Economics. Straus has contributed to methodological discussions on qualitative fieldwork, survey methods, and mixed-methods research used by centers like ICPSR and initiatives at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Straus is the author of books and articles published by presses and journals connected to institutions such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, American Political Science Review, and Journal of Peace Research. Major books examine the Rwandan genocide, mechanisms of mass killing, and reconciliation processes in African contexts, engaging literatures produced at Yale University Press and drawing comparisons to cases studied by scholars affiliated with Princeton University Press and Columbia University Press. His peer-reviewed articles have been cited in policy reports by bodies including the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, and Human Rights Watch.
Straus has received awards and recognition from academic and policy organizations such as the American Political Science Association, the African Studies Association, and university-level prizes from University of California, Berkeley. His work has been awarded research fellowships and grants from funders including the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and fellowship programs tied to Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Fulbright Program institutions.
At University of California, Berkeley Straus has taught undergraduate and graduate courses that intersect with programs at Center for African Studies, Law School, and the School of Public Policy. He has supervised doctoral dissertations whose recipients have taken positions at institutions such as University of Michigan, London School of Economics, and Johns Hopkins University. Straus participates in doctoral committees, dissertation workshops, and postdoctoral mentorship connected to networks like Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research and the Society for Political Methodology.
Straus frequently provides expert commentary for media outlets and engages with policymakers, delivering testimony and briefings to bodies including the United States Congress, European Parliament, and United Nations forums. He has appeared on broadcast and print platforms associated with organizations such as BBC, The New York Times, The Guardian, and specialty publications tied to Foreign Affairs and The Atlantic. Straus contributes to public debates on atrocity prevention, transitional justice, and international accountability through lectures at venues including Woodrow Wilson Center and Council on Foreign Relations.
Category:Living people Category:American political scientists Category:Genocide studies scholars