Announcing our dissertation fellowship winners

The Center for Human Rights and International Justice congratulates Scott Williamson, Mariana Castrellon, and Callie Ward for their exceptional work and is pleased to name them the winners of our new Dissertation writing Fellowships. This funding will support the completion of their dissertations, all of which include at least one chapter focusing on a human rights or international justice case study or issue.

Mariana Castrellon, candidate for Doctor in the Science of Law, is writing her dissertation on the historical conditions in which cohabitating and concubine women gained access to property rights in Colombia. In analyzing the law’s influence on intra-household negotiations, she draws important connections between property rights and the gendered power dynamics between intimate partners.

Callie Ward, PhD candidate in Iberian and Latin American Cultures, is examining what she terms the “literature of human rights” in contemporary Latin America. Analyzing narratives from post-dictatorial Chile, Argentina and Brazil, her work explores literature’s relevance to human rights and its potential to disclose issues, subjects, and geographic regions that legal systems might exclude.

Scott Williamson, PhD candidate in Political Science, is completing a dissertation titled “The King Can Do No Wrong: Delegation and Blame under Authoritarian Rule.” Through in-depth study of the dynamics of authoritarian rule, he contributes to our understanding of how some dictators are able to evade accountability more effectively than others. His work carries important implications for comprehending both the intensity of repression and the frequency of opposition mobilization under autocratic regimes.

Congratulations to all three incredible students! The Center for Human Rights and International Justice looks forward to hosting a presentation of their work this coming spring.