Justin de Leon

Dr. Justin de Leon is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Ethnic Studies Minor at Chapman University's Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. His work bridges International Relations (IR) theory, feminist theory, and Indigenous studies, focusing on sovereignty, ontological security, and decolonial practices through storytelling and filmmaking.

• PhD in International Relations (University of Delaware)
• MA in International Relations (University of Delaware)
• MA in Peace and Conflict Resolution (University of Central Florida)
• BA in Political Science (Allegheny College)

De Leon's research interrogates Western IR frameworks through Indigenous cosmology and sovereignty practices. His 2023 article in Millennium critiques colonial 'House of IR' metaphors, proposing Indigenous 'Tipi Poles' for reimagining international theory. His 2024 book project Resurgent Visual Sovereignty (University of Nebraska Press) extends this work.

Key trends in his publications include:
• Indigenous sovereignty frameworks (2020-2024)
• Ontological security through Lakota cosmology (2020)
• Decolonial pedagogy in IR classrooms (2018-2021)
• Militarization and cultural resistance in powwows (2020)
• Community-based filmmaking as political praxis (2020)

Scientific Awards:

• Rotary World Peace Fellow
• Mills College Research at the Intersections Fellow

He advises the Creative Sovereignty Lab and has served as media director for the UN's Indigenous Oral History Program. His creative work includes the films Braided Together (2022) and More Than a Word (2018), and the podcast Teaching Peace (2020-2022).