Michael Wilson Becerril

Michael Wilson Becerril is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Swarthmore College, jointly appointed in Peace & Conflict Studies and Latin American & Latino Studies and affiliated with Environmental Studies. An activist-scholar originally from Mexico City, he brings over a decade of engaged research on the political ecologies of violence, resistance, and justice across Latin America.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz

Research Interests:
Prof. Wilson-Becerril’s work interrogates the intersections of environmental justice, coloniality, and everyday violence. Drawing on long-term fieldwork in Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guyana, he examines how extractive industries, militarized security, and neoliberal governance produce and normalize violence—while also catalyzing creative forms of resistance. His scholarship integrates decolonial feminist theory, Indigenous epistemologies, and participatory methodologies to illuminate pathways toward collective healing and transformative justice.

Across his publications—ranging from the award-winning monograph Resisting Extractivism (Vanderbilt, 2021) to policy pieces in Al Jazeera and The Washington Post—he foregrounds the voices of marginalized communities and advances an anti-oppressive praxis that links academic inquiry to grassroots advocacy.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships:

• University of California Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship
• Jennings Randolph Peace Scholarship (U.S. Institute of Peace)
• Ph.D. Fellowship (International Center on Nonviolent Conflict)

Teaching & Mentorship:
Prof. Wilson-Becerril’s pedagogy is grounded in slow education, collective knowledge-making, and anti-oppressive classroom practices. Students praise his ability to foster inclusive dialogue, remember individual contributions, and center lived experiences in analyses of colonialism, war, and ecocide. He offers multiple modalities of engagement—circle discussions, written reflections, and one-on-one mentoring—and explicitly cultivates spaces for collective healing and critical self-reflection on power, privilege, and responsibility.

Labs & Public Engagement:
He directs the Peace Praxis Lab, an initiative that bridges scholarship, policy advocacy, and community organizing. Beyond the academy, he has served as a nonprofit advocacy writer, policy consultant, union representative, and radio journalist, maintaining active collaborations with environmental-justice organizations across the Americas.