Haley Duschinski named new director of Center for International Studies

Haley Duschinski has been selected as the new director of the Center for International Studies.  

Duschinski earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University in 2004 and currently serves as a professor of anthropology and the graduate program director of the Master of Arts degree in Law, Justice & Culture at OHIO. She has published various works including her most recent book, Palgrave Handbook of New Directions in Kashmir Studies (2023).

“I am thrilled to take on this new leadership position,” Duschinski said. “With deep and diverse expertise in world areas, languages and cultures, the Center for International Studies has promoted and expanded vital intersections of global teaching, research and outreach across the university for the past sixty years.”

“Our interdisciplinary programs bring together talented students and faculty experts from all programs, colleges and campuses. Each is committed to the pursuit of transformative education, rigorous scholarship, academic freedom, and inclusive excellence in international and comparative contexts -- qualities central to our University’s mission and values, and vital for twenty-first century citizens and leaders.”

Established in 1964, the Center for International Studies (CIS) is supported by the Scripps College of Communication and the College of Arts and Sciences, which share faculty and other resources with the CIS.

“We are excited to work with Dr. Duschinski in her new role,” said Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps College of Communication. “Her track record of providing outstanding learning experiences for students, her collegiality, and her commitment to international programs will be true assets as we collectively work to elevate the programs in International Studies. We look forward to collaborating with her and other colleagues to enhance Ohio University’s legacy of international education.”

Matthew Ando, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, praised Duschinski’s background and leadership.  

“The Center has played a leading role in the University’s distinguished history of international scholarship, education, and engagement,” Ando said. “Dr. Duschinski is an outstanding international scholar and academic leader. I am confident that, with her leadership, the Center will play an even greater role in university’s future, connecting our region, Ohio, and the nation to the world.”

Duschinski’s background encompasses legal and political anthropology with research specializations in law and society; violence, war, and power; critical Indigenous studies and settler colonial studies; human rights and international justice; and militarization and impunity in South Asia, with a focus on Kashmir. She has conducted field research on these themes in Kashmir, India, Cambodia, and Geneva.

“I am thrilled about Dr. Duschinski’s directorship, especially at a time we are having critical conversations on place-based learning,” said Nukhet Sandal, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Duschinski has demonstrated success in institution building and she is an energetic leader who will further elevate the Center’s status not just in Ohio, but nationally.”

Duschinski said the CIS is “central to the University’s mission and vision,” and she looks forward to a bright future for the center.  

“This new chapter provides the opportunity for us to expand and evolve our international engagements and programs, explore new directions and capacities for faculty research and creative activity, and strengthen connections with our highly-valued international partners and alumni,” Duschinski said.

The CIS offers undergraduate majors in international studies and war and peace, and graduate degrees in communication and development, war and peace, international development, African studies, Asian studies, and Latin American studies.