Maya Van Nuys

Hello! I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. I specialize in international relations (IR) and comparative politics with an emphasis on international security, global governance, and policing. In my dissertation, “Reforming Policing, Reproducing Power: The Global Governance of Domestic Policing Norms,” I explore the parameters of international norms for policing. Putting critical policing studies in anthropology, sociology, and history into conversation with IR, the dissertation argues that attempts to reform the police often prioritize reimposing social order. This prioritization of order can undermine civilian trust in police and long-term security.

Outside of my dissertation, my research combines critical and mainstream approaches to explore the role of racism and legacies of empire in conflict dynamics and state-building. I have explored the social conditions of political violence as well as the impact of racism on the foreign policy bureaucracy. My research has been published in outlets including International Organization, Politics, Religion, and Ideology, and Democracy and Security.  

I hold an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago and B.A. in Global and International Studies and Humanities with highest distinction from the University of Kansas.