Winston Nagan

Country:

United States of America

WAAS Designation:

Fellow

Primary Position & Institution:

Emeritus Professor of Law & Director, University of Florida, Levin College of Law

Short Bio:

Prof. Nagan was born in South Africa and educated at the University of Fort Hare. At that time, the apartheid authorities were constructing the foundations of a police state. As a student leader, he was active in promoting the rule of law values, which challenged the values of apartheid authoritarianism. In this role, he was active in organizing legal defenses for political prisoners. Later he organized a prison education scheme for the continuing education of all political prisoners in South Africa. He left South Africa for exile in 1964 and continued his legal studies at Oxford University. He graduated with the degrees of BA honors and MA. He continued his studies at Duke University, LL.M, MCL. He did his doctoral studies at Yale then took a position in the University of Florida where he was Sam T. Dell Research Scholar Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Peace. Prof. Nagan served as Chair of Amnesty International USA, and President, Policy Sciences Center. He is widely published in international law and human rights, and has taught and lectured in at least 20 universities worldwide. He has been awarded Distinguished International Educator by UF (2005), Faculty of the Year by UF Law (2013), Bahia Human Rights Award (2002) and the Mandela Freedom Award by UF (2014). Served as Acting Justice on the High Court of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa (2006).