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Each year, the Institute for the Study of Human Rights welcomes a select number of visiting scholars to conduct research on a variety of human rights topics. Past visiting scholars have included federal judges, attorneys, trailblazers in NGO advocacy, academics and medical doctors. These scholars have come from more than 35 countries and form an essential part of ISHR’s global community of human rights researchers, scholars, and advocates.
Prospective scholars and others interested in researching human rights are encouraged to explore the biographies of some of our recent scholars below. Use the tabs below to sort through our scholars by research specialization. Click here for a list of additional visiting scholars.
To learn more about the Visiting Scholars Program and how to apply, click here.
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Dr. Rebecca Adami was a visiting research scholar at the Department of Arts and Humanities, Teachers College. Her post doc project titled “Women of the Declaration: Exploring Counternarratives on Human Rights from 1946-48” centers on the UN female delegates who where part of drafting the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. Her research interest is on the broad study of human rights in the field of philosophy of education. In her PhD thesis, titled “Human Rights Learning: the Significance of Narratives, Relationality and Uniqueness”, Dr. Adami explored human rights learning through a narrative turn that focus on learners and teachers life stories, drawing on the work of Hanna Arendt and Adriana Cavarero. Her published work includes articles such as “Re-Thinking Relations in Human Rights Education: The Politics of Narratives.” in Journal of Philosophy of Education and “Towards Cosmopolitan Ethics in Teacher Education: An Ontological Dimension of Learning Human Rights”, in Ethics and Education. Dr. Adami has taught university courses for teacher students on multiculturalism and diversity at the Department of Education, Stockholm University. Contact: ra2712@columbia.edu
Ahmed Hussain Adam is a prominent Sudanese politician and scholar from Darfur. Mr. Adam studied law in Sudan and public international law in the UK, where he received his LL/M in International Law from Westminster University, London 1999. Mr. Adam has been a prominent voice for the people of Darfur and all oppressed Sudanese. He has been one of the principal negotiators on behalf of the people of Darfur in various peace talks sponsored by international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League. Mr. Adam was a Visiting Scholar and co-chair of the Two Sudans Forum at ISHR. Mr. Adam is also writing a book manuscript on Darfur titled: Darfur Betrayed: An Insider Perspective. The proposed book attempts to offer a scholarly and insider perspective on Darfur peace processes since 2004. The book will critically examine the role and response of the regional and international community to the crisis of Darfur.
Artak Ayunts has BA and MA degrees in Sociology from Yerevan State University. He also has an MA degree in Conflict Resolution from Bradford University, Peace Studies Department, United Kingdom. He completed his PhD studies at Yerevan State University in 2004 on the topic of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He has been a Tavitian Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and DAAD Fellow at Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Prior to that, he was the representative of the International Alert in Armenia. Currently he teaches at Yerevan State University. His research interests include Conflict Management, Peace Studies and Discourse Analysis.
Zarizana Abdul Aziz, a Malaysian lawyer, was President of the Women’s Crisis Centre in Malaysia where she provided legal and emotional support to victims of violence against women. Abdul Aziz was subsequently involved in legal reform in the area of violence against women, gender equality, family law and religious laws in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and East Timor, as well as training of lawyers, civil society advocates, religious scholars and government officials in the said areas. She served as an expert in the Expert Group Meeting on Good Practices pursuant to the United Nations Secretary-General in-depth study on all forms of violence against women (General Assembly resolution 58/185), as well as for various other international organizations, including UNIFEM (now part of UN Women), the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (now part of UN Women), the OHCHR and the International Commission of Jurists.
