Anita Isaacs

Canadian political scientist

Anita Isaacs

Born|

Montreal, Canada

Alma mater|

* McGill University
* Oxford University

Awards| Rowman & Littlefield Award, APSA
Scientific career
Fields| Political science
Institutions|

* Ford Foundation
* New York University
* Haverford College

Anita Isaacs is a Canadian political scientist. She is the Benjamin R. Collins Professor of Social Sciences and professor of political science at Haverford College. She studies democracy, democratization, and democratic transitions, with a focus on peace building in Latin America and particularly in Ecuador and Guatemala.

## Early life and education

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Isaacs is from Montreal, Canada.[1] She attended McGill University, where she earned a BA in political science in 1980.[2] In 1982 she graduated from Oxford University with an M.Phil. in Latin American studies.[2] In 1985, she earned a D.Phil. in politics at Oxford.[2]

## Career

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After obtaining her PhD, Isaacs worked as a program officer at the Ford Foundation.[1] In 1988 she became an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at New York University, and then moved to the political science department at Haverford College.[2] From 1999 to 2004 she was the Stinnes Professor of Global Studies at Haverford.[2] In 2004, she was a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania.[2] In 2006 she was named the Benjamin R. Collins Professor of Social Science at Haverford College, in addition her appointment as a professor in the department of political science.[2]

Isaacs's research focuses primarily on democratization in Latin America, with a particular concentration on Guatemala and Ecuador. In 1993, Isaacs published the book Military Rule and Transition in Ecuador, 1972–1992. Isaacs provides in-depth historical context for the ascent of and successful 1972 coup by Guillermo Rodríguez Lara, and through field research she analyzes his regime, the causes of its downfall, and the following transition to democratic civilian rule.[3] Isaacs's research also concerns Mexico, and Central America more broadly.[4] She has a particular expertise in the politics of migration and refugees.[2][4]

Isaacs has been interviewed for television networks, including the Public Broadcasting System, about the political, economic, and human rights situations in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador from which thousands of youthful refugees have been fleeing across several nations into the United States. Her interviews in news media include frequent expert quotes in The New York Times,[5] where she was one of the primary subjects of an episode of The Daily in May 2020[4] and a related story documenting disruptions to college education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Other outlets that have interviewed or cited Isaacs include Time,[7] Vox,[8] and The Christian Science Monitor.[9] Isaacs has also published frequently in news media outlets, including multiple articles in The New York Times,[10][11] and in The Washington Post.[12]

From 2000 to 2003, Isaacs was Director of the Haverford Center for Peace and Global Citizenship.[2]

During the 2014–2015 school year, Isaacs was Chair of the Political Science Department at Haverford College.[2] From March 2018 to March 2020, Isaacs was a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.[13]

Isaacs is a past winner of the American Political Science Association's Rowman & Littlefield Award in Innovative Teaching.[1]

## See also

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* Children's immigration crisis

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Anita Isaacs Biography". Haverford College. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Anita Isaacs Profile". Haverford College. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
3. ^ Dietz, Henry (1 August 1999). "Review Military Rule and Transition in Ecuador, 1972–1992". The Journal of Politics. 57 (3): 898–900. doi:10.2307/2960216.
4. ^ a b c "Bursting the College Bubble transcript". The Daily podcast. The New York Times. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
5. ^ Malkin, Elisabeth (28 December 2018). "Guatemala Cautious on Young Migrants' Deaths, Wary of Angering U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
6. ^ Casey, Nicholas (5 May 2020). "College Made Them Feel Equal. The Virus Exposed How Unequal Their Lives Are". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
7. ^ Joung, Madeline (20 July 2019). "Trump's Deadline for an Asylum Deal With Mexico Is Monday. Here's What We Know". Time. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
8. ^ Kirby, Jen (17 July 2019). "How to address the causes of the migration crisis, according to experts". Vox. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
9. ^ Louisa Reynolds; Whitney Eulich (6 September 2018). "Why Guatemala is abandoning high-profile anti-corruption drive". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
10. ^ Anita Isaacs; Anne Preston (9 July 2018). "Deporting the American Dream". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
11. ^ Anita Isaacs; Anne Preston (15 February 2019). "The Democrats' Latest Political Misstep on Immigration". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
12. ^ Anita Isaacs; Anne Preston (26 November 2018). "Tear gas and intimidation won't fix the root causes of migration". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
13. ^ "Anita Isaacs profile". Woodrow Wilson Center. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

## External links

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* Anita Isaacs Homepage
* Military Rule and Transition in Ecuador, 1972-92 (1993)