Prestigious award goes to prof

The idea for the book that earned University of New Mexico professor Sharon Erickson Nepstad a prestigious award came 20 years ago.

The sociology professor and department chair was awarded the American Sociological Association’s 2012 Outstanding Book Award in the area of peace, war and social conflict. Her book, “Nonviolent Revolutions: Civil Resistance in the Late Twentieth Century,” was published in June 2011.

Erickson Nepstad was in Germany working with an international peace organization when the Berlin Wall fell.

“This happened really suddenly. None of us saw it coming,” she said. “I remember thinking this is really important. We need to figure out why this worked for East Germany and not in Tiananmen Square.”

That curiosity spanned numerous years as Erickson Nepstad made her way through academia, focusing on conflict resolution.

In her award-winning book, Erickson Nepstad, a professor at UNM since 2009, examines uprisings in places such as Chile, Panama and the Philippines, focusing on how some non-violent movements worked and others didn’t.

“I’m hoping that this book brings more attention to the fact that nonviolence can be more effective than war,” she said.

Erickson Nepstad is under contract to write another book about nonviolent movements. She said this is a “very exciting” time to chronicle revolutions.

“Especially after the Arab Spring, this is a really growing field. And it’s not just about morals and ethics, it’s about scientific study,” she said.