About this Event
Overview
In the face of different forms of violence, women are often at the forefront of movements resisting oppression and defending rights. In post-genocide Guatemala, women have played a critical role in the search for justice for atrocities committed during the internal armed conflict (1960-1996). Women’s voices and narrations in war crimes trials are a critical part of the healing process for them as individuals, for their families and their communities. Their demands for accountability also provided new tools for understanding the role of the state in mass atrocities and for a broader rewriting of difficult pasts. In this presentation, will discuss her work witnessing the Sepur Zarco sexual violence trial as an international trial monitor and the lessons for understanding how local, national and transnational activism can bring about positive social change.
About the Speaker
Jo-Marie Burt (Ph.D., Political Science, Columbia University, 1999) is Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a Senior Fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a leading human rights research and advocacy organization. Dr. Burt has published widely on political violence, human rights, and transitional justice in post-conflict societies. She has been a Fulbright Scholar, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, and President of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), as well as a research scholar and visiting professor at Princeton University and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Dr. Burt has led or participated in numerous collaborative research-based advocacy projects with civil society organizations in the U.S. and Latin America. She was a researcher for Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and has served as an expert witness on human rights cases involving Peru and Guatemala before Peruvian Courts and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Dr. Burt has monitored and written about war crimes trials in Latin America, including the trials of former heads of state of Peru and Guatemala, Alberto Fujimori and Efraín Ríos Montt. Her newest book, In Pursuit of Justice in Post-Genocide Guatemala, is forthcoming from the University of California Press.
Note to Attendees
Seating is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests should be prepared to show their tickets and, if requested by NYU Campus Safety, a photo ID.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Jurow Lecture Hall, Silver Center of Arts & Science, New York, United States
USD 0.00
