Jon Eastwood to Present Nobel Prize Symposium Talk The William P. Ames Jr. Professor of Sociology will discuss this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner on March 10 in Leyburn Library.

By Brian Laubscher
February 26, 2026

Jon Eastwood, William P. Ames Jr. Professor of Sociology at Washington and Lee University, will hold a Nobel Prize Symposium discussion on Venezuelan politician and activist María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

Eastwood’s talk will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, in room 128 of the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, located in Leyburn Library. The event is free and open to the public. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

“The last couple decades of Venezuelan history have been tragic in political, economic and humanitarian terms,” said Eastwood. “In this short talk, I’ll provide some background on this history and contextualize the role that Machado has played in this story.”

The Nobel Committee cited awarding Machado the Peace Prize for “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Machado was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1967. She earned a degree in industrial engineering from Andrés Bello Catholic University and completed a postgraduate specialization in finance at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, both in Caracas. She began her career at her family’s steel company before founding the Atenea Foundation in 1992 to support children living in poverty. She co-founded the Venezuelan non-governmental organization (NGO) Súmate in 2002, launching a political career that included winning a seat in the National Assembly of Venezuela in 2010 and twice seeking the opposition’s presidential nomination.

Learn more about all of the 2025 Nobel Prize winners.