Derese Getachew Kassa

Dr. Derese Getachew Kassa is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Iona College, where he teaches Introduction to Sociology, Race and Ethnic Relations, Urban Society, and related courses. His research focuses on global migration, displacement, conflict, and urban development in East Africa.

• Ph.D., University of Louisville
• MA, University of Bath
• BA, Addis Ababa University

Kassa’s work intersects population movements, international migration, and state-society relations, particularly in Ethiopia. He is co-developer of Iona’s Black Studies Minor and plans to expand it into a full major by Fall 2024 using insights from his Ethiopia research.

His recent publications span urban citizenship, democratization in Africa, and media reform, with a focus on Ethiopia and regional conflicts. He has received competitive grants, including a $2.4M SSHRC award and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, supporting fieldwork on displacement crises.

• Best Dissertation Award, University of Louisville (2013)
• Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (2022)
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute invitation (2023)

Kassa is Chair of Iona’s Criminal Justice & Sociology Department and an active member of the African Studies Association and American Political Science Association.