Séverine Autesserre
Séverine Autesserre (born December 6, 1976) is a French-American author and researcher. She writes about war and peace, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and . Her research has influenced policy interventions as well as scholarly debates on peacebuilding and on Congo. Autesserre is a Professor and Chair of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University (New York, US), where she specializes in international relations and African studies. Before becoming an academic, she worked for international humanitarian and development agencies. Education. Autesserre obtained her B.A. in political science from Sorbonne University  in 1997. She earned her master's degree in international relations and political science from Sciences Po and Columbia University. In 2006, she completed her Ph.D. in political science from New York University. She undertook post-doctorate studies at Yale University in 2007. Books and scholarly publications. Autesserre's early research culminated in her first book, "The Trouble with the Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding" published in 2010. The book explains why international efforts to end civil wars often fail. Drawing on interviews and field research, Autesserre presents a case study of the international intervention during  the Democratic Republic of Congo's unsuccessful transition from war to peace and democracy (2003–06). She argues that local rivalries over land, resources, and political power motivated widespread violence. However, an international peacebuilding culture shaped the intervention strategy in a way that precluded action on local conflicts, ultimately dooming the international efforts. Autessere's second book, "Peaceland: Conflict Resolution and the Everyday Politics of International Intervention", was published in 2014. The book suggests a new explanation for why international peace interventions so often fail to reach their full potential. She demonstrates that everyday elements – such as expatriates’ social habits and  common approaches to understanding their areas of operation – strongly influence peacebuilding effectiveness. Through this analysis of interveners’ daily life and work, "Peaceland" proposes innovative ways to better help host populations build sustainable peace. Autesserre's third book, "The Frontlines of Peace: An Insider's Guide to Changing the World," was released by Oxford University Press in 2021. Drawing on field research in 12 different conflict zones around the world such as Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somaliland, in addition to analyses of social initiatives in Europe and North America, Autesserre examines the successful strategies that help build peace  during and after mass violence. She highlights "ordinary yet extraordinary individuals and communities" that have decreased or ended violence in various parts of the world. Teaching. Autesserre has taught at New York University and Yale University. Currently, she teaches at Columbia University's Barnard College, School of International and Public Affairs, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She teaches classes on African politics, international relations, and war and peace, and she chairs the Barnard Political Science Department. In 2021, Autesserre received Barnard College's Emily Gregory Award, a student-nominated award for excellence in teaching. Influence and awards. According  to Google Scholar, Autesserre's work has been cited in 3,800 scholarly texts, including 1,200 that have cited "The Trouble With the Congo" and 1,000 that have cited "Peaceland". Her three books have positioned Autesserre as "an authoritative voice" on international humanitarian interventions. Her publications on peacebuilding have helped shape intervention strategies for several United Nations departments, foreign affairs ministries, philanthropists, activists, and non-governmental organizations. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and the United Nations Security Council, and her research has been quoted in debates at the U.S. House of Representatives and the Canadian Parliament. Her publications have  helped put local conflict resolution on the agenda of policy-makers and practitioners working in Congo. Autesserre is considered "one of the foremost thinkers on international peace-building" in the decade since 2010. She has been invited to present her research in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Congo, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Autesserre's first paper won the 2006 Best Graduate Student Paper award from the African Studies Association, and her article "Dangerous Tales" won the 2012 Best Article award from the African Politics Conference Group. The same year, her book "The Trouble with the Congo" won the  Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. The book also won the 2011 Chadwick Alger Prize awarded by the International Studies Association. Autesserre's work "Peaceland" won the 2016 Best Book of the Year Award and the 2015 Yale H. Ferguson Award from the International Studies Association, as well as honorable mentions for three other book prizes: the 2014 African Argument Book of the Year, the 2015 Chadwick Alger Prize from the International Studies Association, and the 2015 Conflict Research Society Book of the Year. Her work "The Frontlines of Peace" has been funded by organizations including the Carnegie Corporation , the Gerda Henkel Foundation, and the Folke Bernadotte Academy. In April 2021, Autesserre presented "The Frontlines of Peace" to the United Nations Security Council. Her book has received positive reviews from "The Washington Post", "The New York Times", and Le Soir, as well as a recommendation from Gideon Rachman of the "Financial Times" who listed the book as part of his "Summer Books of 2021." In September 2021, Autesserre was awarded the Victor Sidel and Barry Levy Award for Peace from the American Public Health Association in recognition of her contributions to preventing war and promoting international peace. Earlier in  the year, Autesserre was also named a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques) by the French Government, a historical knighthood for French academic, cultural, and educational figures. Her research has won her an Emerging Scholar Award from the International Studies Association (2021), a Special Prize of the Jury from the French Red Cross Fund (2017), an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2016), a 2016 Foreign Policy Interrupted fellowship, two research awards from the United States Institute of Peace (2004–05 and 2010–12), two Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation research grants (2010 and 2011), a Presidential Research Award  from Barnard College (2010), two Mellon Fellowships in Security and Humanitarian Action (2004–06), and a Fulbright Fellowship (1999–2000). She is one of the seven main characters in Timothy Pachirat's book "Among Wolves".