Bio

I currently work as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in Anthropology at The University of Chicago and as a Visiting Fellow at LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre. I hold a doctorate in Human Development from The University of Chicago, as well as an M.A. from the same institution and an MBA from Simmons University in Boston. 

My research sits at the intersection of anthropology, organizational studies, and public policy. I focus on individuals who decide to take up and lay down arms with non-state armed groups, the interventions that target these individuals, and the topic of trust in societies and communities that have experienced mass atrocities. My work additionally draws from and contributes to the fields of international relations, peace and conflict, area, and global development studies. 

I maintain three strands of research: first, I look at interpersonal (mis)trust in communities of violence-affected actors (e.g., former combatants and conflict victims) in societies working to transition out of protracted organized violence. Second, I examine the way in which organizational cultures and practices shape the intervention encounter between organization professionals and the populations with whom they work. And third, I consider the intersection of gender and family role identity with decisions to join and leave non-state armed groups. 

I have conducted extensive field work in Colombia since 2010 both in an informal housing settlement of conflict victims and former combatants, as well as in the non-governmental, religious, and international organisations that design interventions for such communities. I have recently extended my fieldwork into Sinaloa, Mexico.

I continue to consult for the UN Agency for Migration (International Organization for Migration). Currently, I am working on my book manuscript, Trust After Betrayal: Society-Building After Mass Atrocity, which draws on my extensive fieldwork in Colombia.

My research has been funded by Fulbright-Hays DDRA, the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, and the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.

erinmcfee [at] gmail.com 

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