Amizade Faculty Instructors
Name: Reinhard Heinisch
Faculty Biography: A native of Austria, Reinhard Heinisch is Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He received his degrees from the Universities of Vienna (BA), Virginia Tech (MA), and Michigan State (PhD), where he specialized on comparative politics and international human rights. He is the author of Populism Proporz Pariah – Austria Turns Right (2002 Nova Science) and numerous articles including his most recent one “Rightwing Populism in Austria – Its Causes and Repercussions” in Twenty-first Century Populism: Structure and Agency of the Unwelcome Guest of Western European Democracy ed. Daniele Albertazzi, et al. (2007 Palgrave).
Reinhard Heinisch participated in his first community development project in 1984 in rural Nicaragua and has been visiting this specific indigenous community site in Bolivia every year since 2001. On three occasion before—twice with the University of Pittsburgh and once with WVU— he led student groups to the same site and successfully completed service-learning projects while teaching about international political development. Professor Heinisch has lectured also at the local university, is a fluent Spanish speaker, and has many close personal and professional connections to Bolivia. In recent years, he has been studying the awakening indigenous political sentiments and corresponding populist movements in Andean society.
Reinhard Heinisch lives in Pittsburgh, enjoys traveling and has a passion for Latin American culture and music. He considers his involvement with Amizade and taking students to experience Bolivian community development one of the most meaningful activities in his life.