Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira
Associate Professor
She/Her/Hers
Townshend Hall 162
1885 Neil Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210
Areas of Expertise
- Criminology
- Peace & Conflict
- Sociology of Law
- Violence
- Qualitative Methods
- Collective Memory
- Transitional Justice
- Human Rights
- Genocide
Education
- Ph.D. - Sociology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- MA - Sociology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- BA - Sociology & Political Science, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse
Genocide is one of the most pressing issues of our time. More people were killed in genocides during the 20th century than in the entirety of the century’s wars and homicides, with countless others experiencing forced displacement, sexualized violence, and psychosocial trauma. My work focuses on understanding this violence. This entails insights surrounding upstream prevention (i.e., predicting genocide and atrocities before they occur), mid-stream engagement (i.e., how to intervene once violence is underway), and downstream recovery (i.e., how communities and countries might effectively rebuild and reconcile after genocide, atrocity, and mass violence). Most recently, my work was awarded the 2023 International Association of Genocide Scholars Engaged Scholar Prize.
I love teaching and teach classes on global crime, violence, and qualitative methods. I also created and lead a study abroad class called Genocide and Its Aftermath in Rwanda. I have been honored to receive the Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, which is given to one of the college's 500 faculty members annually, and the Ohio State Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, which is the university's highest teaching honor. Apart from teaching, I particularly love advising undergraduate thesis research.
Outside of Ohio State, I am the Global Editor in Chief of the International Association of Genocide Scholars Policy Brief Initiative and serve as a consultant for a federal instability and atrocity prediction task force. I also work with several nonprofit and government organizations related to atrocity prevention, memorialization, and refugee advocacy.