Sophia Wilson
Dr. Sophia Wilson is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the President of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, and held fellowships at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Indiana University Law School, and Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin. She taught at the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute in 2017, 2019 and 2025. Wilson was a recipient of the SIUE University Teaching Recognition Award in 2018, and Phenomenal Woman Award for contributions to diversity and inclusion at SIUE and community.
Sophia Wilson’s book, Maidan: Ukraine’s Democratic Revolution (McGill-Queens University Press) is an extensive analysis of the grassroots movement of the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity, which renegotiated the social contract and reaffirmed democracy in Ukraine. Her research articles on human rights in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries appeared in the Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change, the Journal of Law and Courts, Post-Soviet Affairs and other academic venues. Sophia Wilson has provided analysis for the U.S. government agencies, and commentary for broadcast and print media outlets about Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including NPR and the Guardian. She was recognized by the Ukrainian government “for leadership in the study and research of Ukrainian Studies in the United States of America” in August 2024, and awarded the Global Coalition’s Certificates of Recognition for her role in strengthening Ukraine’s presence in the global academic community in 2025.
In October of 2023, Sophia Wilson was a Visiting Fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin, as she began work on her new book, Fascism vs. Communism: Ukraine under Three Occupations, comparing the effects of occupational tactics by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and modern Russia.
Courses recently taught:
- Honors 320A, State-Society Relations in Modern Ukraine
- Political Science 351, Eastern European Political Systems in Transition
- Political Science 354, Women and Cross-National Politics
- Political Science 350, Western European Politics
- Political Science 457, Politics of Resistance: Social Mobilization and International Law in Northern Ireland
- Political Science 400, Senior Assignment
- Political Science 111, Introduction to Political Science
Selected recent publications:
Sophia Wilson. 2026. Maidan: Ukraine’s Democratic Revolution. Montreal& Kingston, London, Chicago: McGill-Queens University Press.
Sophia Wilson. 2021. "The Ukrainian Revolution: Repression, Interpretation, and Dissent." Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change 45: 157-188.
Sophia Wilson. 2020. "Law Enforcement and the Politics of Religious Minority Rights in Azerbaijan" Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization 28(1): 177-198.
Sophia Wilson. 2017. “Cause Lawyering in Revolutionary Ukraine" Journal of Law and Courts 5(2): 267-288.
Sophia Wilson. 2017. “Majoritarian values and women’s rights: police and judicial behavior in Tajikistan and Azerbaijan” Post-Soviet Affairs 33(4): 298-312.
Professional Website
https://www.siue.edu/~sowilso/
Professional contact information:
Department of Political Science
Peck Hall 2331, Box 1453
Edwardsville, Illinois 62026-1453
Office phone: 618-650-3585
Email: sowilso@siue.edu
Curriculum Vitae
