Ruth Cowan

Ruth B. Cowan is a political scientist focusing on the rule of law in the New Democracy of South Africa. Her particular interests are the transformation of the judiciary regarding race and gender and the creation of a human rights jurisprudence. Her articles about the transformation of the judiciary appear in law journals in South Africa and the United States and are the focus of her presentations at law conferences in South Africa, the United States and Canada.

She is the Founding President of Pro Mujer - a micro finance organization which lends funds to poor women in five Latin American countries. She serves on the Board of Directors of Pro Mujer, The Global Partnership for Afghanistan and the Council of Women World Leaders. She has a record of advancing women's rights, serving as chair of the NYC Commission on the Status of Women during two mayoral administrations. She is a senior fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

She holds degrees from Cornell University, the University of Illinois and New York University and a certificate in management from Harvard University. (09/08)

Courting Justice
A film created by Ruth Cowan, Directed by Jane Thandi Lipman, 2008, 54 min., Color
From tyranny to democracy. Fourteen years after the defeat of apartheid, South Africa’s fledgling democracy is acclaimed for its constitutional promis...