Richard Ashby Wilson

Richard Ashby Wilson is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Law at the University of Connecticut, where he also holds the Gladstein Chair of Human Rights. He serves as founding director of the Human Rights Institute and maintains a joint appointment at the UConn School of Law with faculty affiliation in the Department of Philosophy.

Wilson's research focuses on human rights, legal anthropology, and international criminal law, with particular expertise in truth and reconciliation commissions, international criminal tribunals, and hate speech regulation. His work bridges anthropological theory with practical human rights applications, examining how historical narratives are constructed in international criminal trials and how speech contributes to genocide and crimes against humanity.

His recent scholarship demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of human rights law and anthropological practice, with publications addressing dangerous speech, transitional justice mechanisms, and the cultural dimensions of legal processes. Wilson's work on incitement and hate speech has particular contemporary relevance in an era of rising populism and online radicalization.

• Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2012) for Writing History in International Criminal Trials
• Fellowship from Institute for Advanced Study-Princeton
• Fellowship from National Endowment for the Humanities
• Fellowship from Russell Sage Foundation

Wilson actively engages with contemporary policy debates, having served as Chair of the Connecticut State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (2009-2013) and currently chairing the Hate Crimes Reporting and Data Analysis Subcommittee on Connecticut's Hate Crimes Advisory Council. He also serves on the international advisory boards of Human Rights Quarterly and The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.