Denise Walsh is an
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
n
political scientist
Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...
, currently a professor of political science and
women, gender and sexuality at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. 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
Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...
, earning a BA in 1985.
She completed an MA in political science at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in 1986, and a PhD in political science from the
New School for Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...
in 2006.
[ 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.
]
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
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a ful ...
does not generally increase women's participation in politics, as political institutions and parties often block women's advancement during these transitions. However, by introducing a new variable regarding debate conditions, and by means of paired comparisons of particular periods of democratization in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, 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.[
Walsh has published on women's representation and rights in democracies in journals like ]Politics & Gender
''Politics & Gender'' is a political science journal that publishes scholarship on gender and politics and on women and politics. It aims to represent the full range of questions, issues, and approaches on gender and women across the major subfie ...
, PS: Political Science & Politics, and Comparative Political Studies
''Comparative Political Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1968 by SAGE Publications, who continue to publish it today. The editors are David J. Samuels, University of Minnesota, and Benjamin W. Ansell, Universi ...
. She has also published articles on research ethics
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
, and on the status of women in the discipline of political science.
Walsh is a member of the 2020-2024 editorial leadership of the American Political Science Review
The ''American Political Science Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of political science. It is an official journal of the American Political Science Association and is published on their behalf by Cambridg ...
, which is the most selective political science journal. She was also the 2016-2017 president of the Women's Caucus for Political Science in the American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
.
She is a Faculty Fellow at the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
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[
*2007 Best Dissertation Prize, Women in Politics Research Section of the ]American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
[
*2014 University of Virginia All-University Teaching Award]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Denise
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
American women political scientists
American political scientists
University of Virginia faculty
Bennington College alumni
Columbia University alumni
The New School alumni
University of Notre Dame faculty
Year of birth missing (living people)
American women academics
21st-century American women