Dalia Wassner

Dalia Wassner, Ph.D. is the founding director of the Project on Latin American Jewish & Gender Studies (LAJGS) at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute of Brandeis University. LAJGS is committed to the study and exploration of Jewish life and gender in Latin America and among Latin American Jews worldwide. Dedicated to scholarship and art, LAJGS bridges the academy and the community through culture.

Dalia Wassner holds a PhD in History from Northeastern University, an MPhil in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and master's degrees in History and in Latin American Studies from Stanford University. Dr. Wassner is committed to providing a more inclusive and interdisciplinary approach to the Jewish Diaspora, and to broaden current academic fields of Jewish Studies, Latin American Studies, Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies and Diaspora Studies. Her research interests include the intersections between Latin American culture and the creation of national narratives of identity, in particular in response to instances of state violence. Her first book, Harbinger of Modernity: Marcos Aguinis and the Democratization of Argentina(Brill), examines the post-dictatorship democratization of Argentina in the context of the legacy of Spanish colonization and global instances of Reformation. Other publications include peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and scholarly reviews.

Dr. Wassner also creates community events that invite discourse on topics that illustrate the depth and breadth of Latin American Jewry. Dr. Wassner serves on the Jewish Women's Archive Encyclopedia Board, the board of Mayyim Hayyim, and is a Scholar of the Humanities Team of JArts Collaborative.