Marcia Esparza

Marcia Esparza is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York). She founded and directs the Historical Memory Project, documenting state violence legacies globally. Her education includes a PhD in Sociology from University at Albany, SUNY (2002) and a BA in Sociology from Hunter College, CUNY (1994, Summa Cum Laude).

Research focuses on:

• State violence and genocide legacies in Latin America/Spain
• Military sociology and postcolonial theory
• Collective memory dynamics in post-conflict societies
• Transitional justice mechanisms and human rights

Publications emphasize militarization impacts, historical memory politics, and Cold War-era violence patterns across Latin America.

Awards:

• Ford Foundation Fellowship (2010-2011)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship (2011-2012)

Professional roles: Co-editor of Journal of Genocide Research; Advisory board member for International Association of Genocide Scholars and Journal of Perpetrator Studies.