Denise Walsh is an Americanpolitical scientist, currently a professor of political science and women, gender and sexuality at the University of Virginia. She studies the relationship between women's rights and political inclusion and level of democracy, as well as women's advancement during periods of democratization.
Education and early career
Walsh studied politics and economics at Bennington College, earning a BA in 1985.[1] She completed an MA in political science at Columbia University in 1986, and a PhD in political science from the New School for Social Research in 2006.[1] In 2005, she became a professor at the University of Virginia, where she was also a co-founder of the Power, Violence and Inequality Collective, which she co-directed from 2016 to 2019.[2]
Career
Walsh wrote the book Women's Rights in Democratizing States: Just Debate and Gender Justice in the Public Sphere, published in 2010. The book confirms and advances findings that democratization does not generally increase women's participation in politics, as political institutions and parties often block women's advancement during these transitions.[3] However, by introducing a new variable regarding debate conditions, and by means of paired comparisons of particular periods of democratization in Poland, Chile, and South Africa, Walsh shows that open and inclusive conditions for debate during democratization periods can increase the state's support for advancements in women's rights and inclusion.[3]
She is a Faculty Fellow at the University of Notre Dame Institute of Advance Studies for 2020–2021.
Selected works
Women's Rights in Democratizing States: Just Debate and Gender Justice in the Public Sphere. 2010
"Does the quality of democracy matter for women's rights? Just debate and democratic transition in Chile and South Africa", Comparative Political Studies 2012
Selected awards
2006 Hannah Arendt Award in Politics, New School for Social Research[1]
^ abKrook, Mona Lena (2013). "Reviewed Work(s): Women's Rights in Democratizing States: Just Debate and Gender Justice in the Public Sphere by Denise Walsh". Perspectives on Politics. 11 (4). American Political Science Association: 1161–1163. doi:10.1017/S1537592713002375. S2CID144421446.
^Walsh, Denise M.; Mershon, Carol (2015). "Organizing Women: Diversifying Leadership and Addressing Discrimination in Political Science Departments". PS: Political Science & Politics. 48 (3): 459–463. doi:10.1017/S1049096515000244. S2CID156236552.
^"Does the Quality of Democracy Matter for Women's Rights? The Public Sphere and Democratic Transition in Chile and South Africa". Comparative Political Studies. 45 (11): 1323–1335. 2012. doi:10.1177/0010414012437165. S2CID145336329.
^Walsh (2017). "Making it Ethical to Study Africa: The Enduring Legacies of 'Sitting on a Man'". Journal of West African History. 3 (2): 166–172. doi:10.14321/jwestafrihist.3.2.0166. S2CID158422243.
^Brown, Nadia; Htun, Mala; Rosenbluth, Frances; Thelen, Kathleen; Walsh, Denise (2017). "How are Women Political Scientists Doing? A Report from the APSA Committee for the Status of Women in the Profession and the Thelen Presidential Task Force". Comparative Politics Newsletter. 27 (1): 81–83.