Trevor Stack

Trevor Stack is a Professor in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Aberdeen, where he also serves as Director of the interdisciplinary Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL). He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and degrees from Oxford, and has been a faculty member at Aberdeen since 2002, rising to a Personal Chair. His academic work bridges anthropology, political science, and Latin American studies, with a strong focus on citizenship, civil society, and societal responses to violence in Mexico.

His research interests include:

• Citizenship and political community
• Civil society and rule of law
• Ethnographic studies of violence and security
• Religion and governance
• Radicalism and civil order
• Comparative political anthropology

Stack’s recent publications reflect a deep engagement with societal responses to crime and violence in Michoacán, Mexico, analyzing local citizen security councils, cultural activism, church initiatives, and women’s networks. His work emphasizes ethnographic depth and interdisciplinary collaboration, often challenging simplistic narratives of state failure and civil resistance.

His notable scientific awards include a Marie Curie Grant (2018) to host 12 PhD students at CISRUL and the Radboud Excellence Initiative Visiting Professorship in Anthropology and Development Studies (2019). He has led major research projects, including an RCUK-Newton team project on societal responses to crime and violence (2016–2019) and an AHRC Research Network on civil society and collaboration. He has also mentored early-career researchers through Leverhulme and Newton International Fellowships.

Stack leads and contributes to significant collaborative research initiatives and has edited influential volumes such as Religion as a Category of Governance and Sovereignty (2015), Engaging Authority: Citizenship and Political Community (2022), and Citizens Against Crime and Violence: Societal Responses in Mexico (2022), which brings together ethnographic fieldwork across six localities in Michoacán. His research consistently highlights the creativity and resilience of civil society actors in contexts of extreme violence and institutional fragility.

He founded CISRUL in 2009, which has become a hub for interdisciplinary research on political concepts, citizenship, and governance, fostering collaboration across the social sciences and humanities.