Expert Profile

Biography

Jeffrey S. Kopstein is a leading professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and serves as the Director of the Center for Jewish Studies. His work focuses on interethnic violence, antisemitism, minority political behavior, and the political history of Eastern Europe, with a particular emphasis on Jewish communities in Europe and Russia. Through his research, Kopstein explores why ethnic violence occurs in some communities but not others and how political and social conditions shape these outcomes.

Before joining UCI, Kopstein taught at the University of Toronto, where he directed the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, and at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has also held visiting positions at institutions like Dartmouth College and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Kopstein is the author and editor of several influential works. His acclaimed book Intimate Violence: Anti-Jewish Pogroms on the Eve of the Holocaust, co-authored with Jason Wittenberg, examines the local conditions that led to outbreaks of violence against Jews in Eastern Europe during World War II. He is also the editor of Politics, Violence, Memory: The New Social Science of the Holocaust, which brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on how political science can contribute to Holocaust studies. His forthcoming book, The Assault on the State, co-authored with Stephen E. Hanson, explores global threats to modern democratic governments.

His scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Ina Levine Invitational Scholarship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Lady Davis Fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has also received a Fulbright U.S. Senior Scholar Award.

At UCI, Kopstein leads the Center for Jewish Studies in developing new interdisciplinary research and teaching initiatives. His mission is to foster greater understanding of Jewish history and culture while building connections between academic scholarship and the broader community. Through his research, teaching, and leadership, Kopstein continues to advance the study of ethnic relations, political violence, and collective memory on an international stage.

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