Ximena Zúñiga

Ximena Zúñiga, University of Michigan, is an engaged scholar in social justice education and lead expert on dialogues across differences in higher education. Dr. Zúñiga's background is in critical philosophy and engaged pedagogy, participatory methodologies in education, and action research. Her initial work was in literacy work and community education in non-formal adult education programs in her native Chile. Before joining the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Dr. Zúñiga directed the Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Michigan, where she participated in developing the intergroup dialogue educational model in higher education. 

She has served as PI and Co-PI on several international, national, and local grants including the Inclusive University Initiative at Pune University in India (Obama Singh Grant, 2013-2016), Multi-University Intergroup Dialogue Research Project (W.T. Grant & Ford Foundation, 2005-2008) and Pluralism and Unity Initiative at UMASS Amherst (W. & F. Hewlett Foundation 1998-2002). She is co-editor of Multicultural Teaching in the University (Praeger), Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (Routledge), and Intergroup Dialogue: Engaging Difference, Social Identities, and Social Justice (Routledge ). She is co-author of Intergroup dialogue in higher education: Meaningful learning about social justice (Jossey-Bass) and Dialogues across difference: Practice, theory and research on intergroup dialogues (Russell Sage).