Angharad Closs Stephens

Dr Angharad Closs Stephens is an Associate Professor and Head of Geography at Swansea University, UK. She specializes in critical nationalism studies, cultural geographies, and affective politics. Her research interrogates the persistence of nationalist ideologies, urban citizenship, and the emotional dimensions of political belonging. She leads the MSc in Society, Environment and Global Change and previously served as Pathway Leader for Human Geography at the ESRC.

Education:

• PhD in International Relations, Keele University (2008)
• MRes in International Relations, Keele University (2003)
• MSc in Gender Studies, London School of Economics (2001)

Research Interests: Dr Closs Stephens explores nationalism’s affective dimensions, urban political encounters, and creative methodologies. Recent work includes analyses of Brexit’s emotional geographies, low-carbon fieldwork practices, and Wales’ national identity. Her monographs National Affects (2022) and The Persistence of Nationalism (2013) are foundational texts in critical nationalism studies.

Awards:

• Peer Review Prize for Excellence (2017) – International Political Sociology
• Nominated for Outstanding Research Supervision Award (2022)

Grants & Collaborations: Secured ESRC funding for projects with National Museum Wales and Welsh Refugee Council. Served as external examiner at Aberystwyth, Exeter, and University of London.

Labs/Teams: Directs Postgraduate Research in Geography and co-convenes the interdisciplinary MSc program. Active in the Emerging Technologies Lab (Monash University, 2019) and PUC-Rio’s Winter School (2018).