Samuel Ritholtz

I study the dynamics of selective violence against sexual and gender minorities during the Colombian internal armed conflict and relate these dynamics to broader patterns of gendered violence during war. Through my dissertation research, I consider the roles of marginality, cruelty, and spectacle in social control strategies during war. In addition to my work on political violence, I also publish on topics related to LGBTIQ+ displacement and collaborate with other scholars at the Refugee Studies Centre. My doctoral work is funded by Green Templeton College. I have an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and a BSc in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University. My master’s work was funded by the Rotary Scholarship Foundation and the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation.

The hope of my research is to contribute to both academic and policy debates relating to queer and trans experiences of conflict and displacement. Outside of academia, I have worked on human rights, peace, and security topics for a range of institutions, including the United Nations’ Executive Office of the Secretary General as well as human rights organizations in Washington DC and Buenos Aires. I have written for Slate, the New Humanitarian, and Newsweek & the Daily Beast’s Women in the World Foundation. And I have contributed to pieces published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, El País, and Foreign Policy, among others. I am fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian and French. I encourage prospective DPhil applicants to the department to be in touch with any questions.