Malloy, Kerri J.

Picture of Kerri J. Malloy

Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies
Director, Ethnic Studies Collaborative

Email

Preferred: kerri.malloy@sjsu.edu

Telephone

Preferred: 408-924-5861

Office Hours

Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 pm- 12:30 pm

 

 

Education

  • Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz College, Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, 2021
  • Master of Jurisprudence (MJ), Indian Law, University of Tulsa, College of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2016
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA), Native American Studies, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 2014
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 2014

Bio

Kerri J. Malloy (enrolled Yurok and of Karuk descent) is an interdisciplinary scholar of Indigenous and genocide studies whose research explores the potential obstacles and application of transitional justice in societies that have experienced genocide or mass atrocity events. He interrogates the need for systemic change in social structures that were complicit in mass violence and genocide and the promotion of transitional justice in response to human rights violations through judicial and political reform. Guiding this line of inquiry is the question, is it feasible for systemic structures that were complicit in the promotion and commission of mass violence and genocide and have not transformed to encourage transitional justice and healing in deeply divided societies? From the perspective of critical Indigenous studies, the extent to which transitional justice is possible without the regime change of the settler-colonial systemic educational and governmental structures is in question. Although regime change may have positive implications for transitional justice, it also poses negative consequences in the strategic calculus for genocide and mass atrocity, particularly for states anxious to secure their sovereignty from threats from within, either real or imagined. 

The broader significance of his work is the application and identification practices for healing deeply divided societies by integrating disparate fields of research. Researching and writing about the healing of deeply divided societies are not enough to prevent atrocities from happening. The theories developed through these scholarly pursuits must have practical application to prevent and assist in reconstruction after a genocidal or mass atrocity event. He interweaves his research with teaching to further the movement in the field by demonstrating to students that all disciplines and career paths can affect positive change. 

In his teaching, he encourages the expression of divergent viewpoints in classroom discussion employing intuitive and empathetic facilitation to provide all voices a place to be heard. Engaging with fraught issues contextualized by the multifaceted experiences of diverse groups and individuals demonstrates how past events impact the world today. The classroom environment should enhance students' abilities to answer probative questions and express their thoughts and feelings. Vigorous debate and reflection are essential to developing critical thinking, clear communication, and the formation of logical arguments and skill sets that will serve students far beyond their time in the classroom.  

He has published or has in the pipeline several pieces, including "Conceptualizing Global Indigenous Rights" in Global Encyclopedia of Territorial Rights (Springer 2020), an entry on "Indigenous Spaces" forthcoming in the Routledge Handbook of Memory Activism, a piece forthcoming in a peer-reviewed book on Global and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Genocide and Mass Violence, and a co-authored manuscript titled, The Politics of Defining Genocide: International Relations, Denialism, and Prevention, which is under contract with Praeger (2022).   

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