Thomas Pegram

I chose to study the MPhil in Latin American Studies following an undergraduate degree in politics with law and a year spent working with a development NGO in the foothills of the Andes.  The degree offered the freedom to combine my theoretical interest in democratization and human rights with a regional specialism in Latin America.  A stimulating and multi-disciplinary programme of study was enhanced by the collegiate atmosphere among students and faculty at the centre.  My research and fieldwork on the human rights ombudsman in Peru benefited from collaboration with faculty and, in particular, a network of in-country academic expertise.  Upon graduation in 2006, I transferred to the DPhil in Politics at Nuffield College with a research focus on national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in democratizing political systems, with a particular interest in their political accountability function.  I am currently the NHRI fellow of the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School.