Dr. Ben Bornstein is a cultural and political sociologist specializing in political violence, victimhood, globalization, and cultural diversity. He currently serves as a researcher at the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions and as the acting head of the “Challenge of Living Together” field at the Van Leer and Shaharit Institutes. Ben is also a PhD candidate (dissertation submitted) in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel-Aviv University, and his thesis focuses on the social construction of victimhood and moral responses in relation to terrorism in Israel.
Previously, Ben was a research fellow at the Human Rights and Judaism program of the Israeli Democracy Institute. In addition, he has extensive experience in consulting and research in policy and strategy for public organizations.
Ben holds a B.A. in Sociology and Journalism (magna cum laude) and an M.A. in Sociology (summa cum laude), both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His current and upcoming projects explore topics such as the current political-legal crisis in Israel, the global institutionalization of victims of terrorism, and cases of interpretive ambiguity around outbreaks of political violence