Susanne Zwingel

Susanne Zwingel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, Florida International University (FIU). She joined FIU in 2014 after serving as Associate Professor at the State University of New York, Potsdam. Her academic work bridges political science, international relations, and gender studies, with a strong focus on transnational advocacy and norm dynamics.

Education:

• PhD in Social Sciences, Ruhr University Bochum (2005)
• MA in Politics and Sociology, Hamburg University (1996)
• BA in Political Science, Bamberg University (1991)

Her research centers on international women’s rights norms, particularly the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and how these norms are translated and implemented across different cultural and political contexts. She employs feminist, constructivist, and post-colonial theories to analyze global governance, gender equality advocacy, and gender in armed conflict. Her methodological approach is rooted in interpretivist qualitative research.

Recent publications reveal a sustained focus on norm translation, local implementation of CEDAW (especially in Miami-Dade County), Caribbean engagement with global gender norms, and the dynamic, contested nature of women’s rights as 'content-in-motion.' Her work spans journal articles, book chapters, edited volumes, and a major monograph, reflecting deep engagement with both theoretical and applied dimensions of gender justice.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards listed in the provided text.

Dr. Zwingel advises students and leads research on gender norms and transnational advocacy, though specific advisees are not named. She has secured research support for projects examining local CEDAW implementation and Caribbean civil society engagement. She teaches courses in International Relations Theories, Feminism in IR, Human Rights, Postcolonialism, and Qualitative Methods, contributing significantly to FIU’s academic and multicultural environment.

She leads a research initiative tracking the global impact of CEDAW through an online bibliography and is actively involved in analyzing how transnational norms are adapted locally, particularly in South Florida and the Caribbean region.