Sabina Andrea Frederic (born 13 October 1965) is an Argentine

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

, university professor and politician. A specialist on military and security personnel, she was Argentina's Minister of Security from 2019 to 2021, in the cabinet of President

Alberto Fernández Alberto Ángel Fernández (; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer and professor, serving as president of Argentina since 2019. Born in Buenos Aires, Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he earned his law ...

. Since 2021, she has chaired the White Helmets Commission.

Early life and career

Frederic was born on 13 October 1965 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. She studied anthropology at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most prestigi ...

and after obtaining her ''

licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Ame ...

'', she went on to complete a PhD on social anthropology at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. She was a permanent faculty member of the

National University of Quilmes The National University of Quilmes ( es, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, UNQui) is an Argentine national university and the most important one in the Quilmes area. The National University of Quilmes was founded on October 23, 1989. Located in Be ...

starting in 2005, and is an independent researcher at CONICET, where she has specialized on the subject of morality, and emotion in the configuration of military and security forces in modern Argentina. Frederic was appointed undersecretary of training in the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

in 2009, a position she held until 2011. From 2012 to 2014, she worked as an advisor in the Ministry of Security in the administration of

Nilda Garré Nilda Celia Garré (born November 3, 1945) is an Argentine lawyer, politician, and diplomat. She was Minister of Defense during the presidency of the late Nestor Kirchner and remained in this position, and as Minister of Security, under Preside ...

. In 2017, Frederic joined the Frente Federal Ciencia y Universidad, a collective of scientists and intellectuals opposed to the budget cuts and

austerity measures Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...

imposed on universities and scientific institutions by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

of President

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previo ...

Minister of Security

On 6 December 2019, President-elect

announced his intention of appointing Frederic as security minister, succeeding

Patricia Bullrich Patricia Bullrich (born 11 June 1956) is an Argentine politician. She was Minister of Security under President Mauricio Macri and is the chairwoman of Republican Proposal. Born in Buenos Aires, Bullrich graduated from the University of Palermo a ...

; Frederic positioned herself as a staunch opponent of Bullrich's security policies. She assumed office alongside the rest of Fernández's cabinet on 10 December 2019. On 24 December, she published Resolution 1231/19, which reversed many of Bullrich's policies in the Minisitry: she overturned the previous protocols on the use of firearms by security forces and mandated the creation of a protocol on the use of taser guns; additionally, the resolution annulled the program overseeing offenders in the railway system and the 1149 Protocol, which "allowed security forces to harm the rights of LGBT citizens". Policy-wise, Frederic has been vocal about her support for the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use. In April 2020, Frederic stated that the ministry would continue her predecessor's policy of cyber surveillance to measure "social humour"; these statements were widely criticized by social organizations and the Opposition. Following the government's poor showings in the 2021 legislative primary elections, Frederic was replaced by

Aníbal Fernández Aníbal Domingo Fernández (born January 9, 1957) is an Argentina, Argentine Justicialist Party politician, lawyer, and certified public accountant. Throughout his career, he has remained a close ally to the former President of Argentina, Preside ...

as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

Publications

Frederic has authored or co-authored some of the following books and publications: * (co-authored with Marcelo Escolar and Gustavo Badía) * * * * (co-authored with Laura Masson and Germán Soprano) * (co-authored with Germán Soprano, Beatriz Ocampo and Carlos Kuz)

References

External links

Official website of the Ministry of Security
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederic, Sabina 1965 births Living people Argentine anthropologists Argentine women anthropologists 21st-century Argentine women politicians 21st-century Argentine politicians Government ministers of Argentina Women government ministers of Argentina People from Buenos Aires University of Buenos Aires alumni Utrecht University alumni Academic staff of the National University of Quilmes