In Memoriam: Mala Htun

Mala Htun, 1969–2025

American political scientist Mala Htun, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico (UNM), passed away on January 24, 2025 at age fifty-five. Htun was a Graduate Student Associate at the Weatherhead Center from 1996 to 1999, and earned her PhD in political science from Harvard University in 2000. She was a professor at the New School for Social Research before teaching at UNM. Her obituary states she was a top scholar of gender and representation, working on comparative politics, women's rights, social inequalities, and strategies to promote inclusive organizational climates in STEM. In her illustrious career she wrote three books: Sex and the State: Abortion, Divorce, and the Family under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies (2003); Inclusion without Representation: Gender Quotas and Ethnic Reservations in Latin America (2016); and The Logics of Gender Justice: State Action on Women’s Rights Around the World (2018). To learn more about Mala Htun’s life, read her obituary from the University of New Mexico.