Severine Autesserre, Ph.D.

sa435@columbia.edu


Full Professor

Barnard College - Columbia University

Year of PhD: 2006

City: New York, New York - 10025

Country: United States

About Me:

I am an award-winning author, peacebuilder, and researcher, as well as a Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. I am the author of The Trouble with the CongoPeaceland, and The Frontlines of Peace, in addition to articles for publications such as Foreign AffairsInternational Organization, and The New York Times. I have been involved intimately in the world of international aid for more than twenty years. I have conducted research in twelve different conflict zones, from Colombia to Somalia to Israel and the Palestinian territories. I have worked for Doctors Without Borders in places like Afghanistan and Congo, and at the United Nations headquarters in the United States. My research has helped shape the intervention strategies of several United Nations departments, foreign affairs ministries, and non-governmental organizations, as well as numerous philanthropists and activists. I have also been a featured speaker at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates and the U.S. House of Representatives. Please click here for more details, or follow me on Twitter at @SeverineAR.

Research Interests

Peacekeeping

Conflict Processes & War

NGOs

African Politics

Nonprofits

Post-Conflict Peacebuilding

Humanitarianism

Africa

Political Violence

Violence

Countries of Interest

Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Zaire)

Publications:

Books Written:

(2021) The Frontlines of Peace: An Insider's Guide to Changing the World, Oxford University Press

At turns surprising, funny, and gut-wrenching, this is the hopeful story of the ordinary yet extraordinary people who have figured out how to build lasting peace in their communities.

(2014) Peaceland: Conflict Resolution and the Everyday Politics of International Intervention, Cambridge University Press

Peaceland suggests a new explanation for why international peace interventions often fail to reach their full potential. Based on several years of ethnographic research in conflict zones around the world, it demonstrates that everyday elements – such as the expatriates’ social habits and usual approaches to understanding their areas of operation – strongly influence peacebuilding effectiveness.

(2010) The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding, Cambridge University Press

The Trouble with the Congo suggests a new explanation for international peacebuilding failures in civil wars. Drawing from more than 330 interviews and a year and a half of field research, it develops a case study of the international intervention during the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s unsuccessful transition from war to peace and democracy (2003–2006).

Media Appearances:

TV Appearances:

(2021) PBS, France 24, Al Jazeera, RT, C-Span, Voice of America, etc

Please see http://www.severineautesserre.com/media for the links to these TV appearances (2008 - 2021)

Radio Appearances:

(2021) NPR, WNYC, BBC, RFI, PRI, ABC, RTBF, Voice of America, Voice of Russia etc

Please see http://www.severineautesserre.com/media for these radio appearances (2008 - 2021)

Newspaper Quotes:

(2021) The New York Times, Le Monde, Vice, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Economist, etc.

Please see http://www.severineautesserre.com/media for the links to newspaper articles quoting me (2007 - 2021)

Blog Posts:

(2021) The Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog, Peace News Network, Women in Foreign Policy, etc.

Please see http://www.severineautesserre.com/media for these blog posts and other online contributions (2010 - 2021)

Other:

(2014) TED

Ted talk (in English, with subtitles in 19 other languages)