James Arie Figgins is a PhD student at the University of California, Irvine in the department of Political Science. His research focus is on genocide, nationalism, identity, and political memory. Specifically, he seeks to understand the bidirectional relationship between identity and politics and explore violence as an identity-generative force. His current research project involves comparing the ethical imaginaries of victims and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, examining political behaviors specific to perpetrators and their kin. Further, it attempts to trace how trauma is both passed down through generations and translated into political activity.
