Ariella Lang joined the Institute for the Study of Human Rights in May 2011. As director of the AHDA program, she oversees research and curricular development of activities relating to historical dialogue at the Institute. Historical dialogue is an emerging field of study that seeks to explore and address conflicting narratives about the past as part of the work of reconciliation and democracy promotion. To this end, Dr. Lang has worked to develop a fellowship program for scholars and practitioners who work in conflict and post-conflict societies, and who come to Columbia for a semester to learn about historical dialogue and its applicability in their local contexts; she has established and is expanding the Historical Dialogues network, a virtual resource for practitioners and scholars interested in historical dialogue; and she oversees an annual conference on topics related to historical dialogue, and other research endeavors. She also works to increase the collaboration between practitioners and scholars in a variety of disciplines who work on issues relating to historical dialogue.
Dr. Lang has taught at Barnard College, Columbia University and Rutgers University, and her interests include minority rights and cultures, genocide studies, and the relationship between religion and nationalism. She has published a number of articles in these areas and her book, Converting a Nation, was published in 2008. Dr. Lang received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University and her B.A. from the University of Chicago.
