Kirk Bowman

Professor

Member Of:
  • Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
  • Development Studies Program
Fax Number:404-894-1900
Office Location: Habersham 145
Related Links:

Overview

Dr. Kirk Bowman, Regents' Entrepreneur, Full Professor and Rise Up & Care Term Chair in Global Development & Identity, joined the Georgia Tech faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in 1998 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004 and Professor in 2014.  He directs study abroad programs in Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay.  A specialist in Latin American politics and development, he is author of Militarization, Democracy, and Development: The Perils of Praetorianism in Latin America (Pennsylvania University Press, 2002), Peddling Paradise: The Politics of Tourism in Latin America (Lynne Rienner 2013), Lessons from Latin America: Innovations in Politics, Culture, and Development (with Felipe Arocena, University of Toronto Press, 2014), and Reimagining Global Philanthropy (with Jon Wilcox, Columbia University Press, 2021) and numerous journal articles, book chapters, and reference chapters. His current research projects include a book on soccer and global politics and using experimental design to test the effect of local change agents and youth high performance addictions in marginalized neighborhoods of the Global South.  He has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, the Ford Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, among others, and was a Fulbright Scholar.  He was the University System of Georgia Excellence of Teaching 2007 recipient and the 2008 Carnegie-Case Professor of the Year for the state of Georgia. 

Dr. Bowman is the co-founder and director of the international NGO Rise Up & Care (www.riseup.care).  Rise Up & Care employs an innovative model of international community development that combines global development research, high-level performance organizations in the global south to transform youth, powerful documentary films by top local directors, and children's books illustrated by local street artists.  Bowman co-produced six feature documentary films in Brazil (www.WomenofEarthfilm.com, www.badbirdiemanmovie.com, www.jongofevermovie.com).  He has been quoted in press, including The Washington Post, The CSMonitor, Globo, and The National Post (Toronto).  Bowman currently leads a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) at Georgia Tech for students from various majors to participate in global development through documentary film, children's books, and targeted global philanthropy.

Bowman directs the Vertically Integrated Project in Soccer, Community, Innovation & Politics (SCIP) that leverages the beautiful game to understand societal forces and to empower organizations that use soccer to transfrom marginalized communities. The SCIP VIP organizes and hosts Soccer Con every 2 years (www.AtlSoccerCon.org).  See www.ScoutHeroes.com and www.RiseUp.care for more information.  

Areas of
Expertise:
  • Democracy
  • Development
  • Inequality
  • Latin America
  • Soccer
  • Sustainable
  • Tourism