Jennie Purnell is an associate professor of Political Science. Originally from Euclid, Ohio, she received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Purnell’s research and teaching focus on unruly forms of politics—social movements, riots, rebellions, revolutions, and other forms of contentious collective action. She looks at the ways in which poor and marginalized Latin Americans, especially rural and indigenous ones, have organized collectively to challenge local and national governments. She is also interested in how faith-based organizations and movements in the United States have attempted to shape U.S. policy in Latin America.

Purnell lives in Harvard, Massachusetts with her husband Petri, an artist and professor of art, their two children, and a small menagerie of dogs and cats.

Capstone course:

UN55801/PO22501: Faith and Global Solidarity

Contact:

Telephone: 617-552-4177
Email: jennie.purnell.1@bc.edu