Christopher Carter

Christopher Carter is the John L. Nau III Assistant Professor of the History and Principles of Democracy in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. He is also a Research Associate at the Center on the Politics of Development at UC Berkeley and a Fellow at the Governance and Local Development Institute, reflecting his broad scholarly engagement across institutions.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, University of California, Berkeley (2020)
• MPhil in Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge (Gates Cambridge Scholar)
• BA in Political Science and History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Morehead-Cain Scholar)

Christopher Carter’s research focuses on the historical evolution of indigenous-state relations in Latin America, particularly how historical experiences with land and labor extraction shape contemporary demands for autonomy. His work sits at the intersection of comparative politics, historical political economy, and democratization, employing multi-method approaches including field experiments, natural experiments, archival research, and ethnographic interviews. He investigates themes such as national identity formation, party system erosion, communal property rights, and the legacies of colonialism.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward analyzing institutional legacies, state-society relations, and the political behavior of marginalized groups, especially indigenous populations. His work frequently uses innovative methodologies to uncover causal mechanisms in long-term political development, with a geographic focus on Peru, Bolivia, and broader Latin America. He contributes to top-tier journals such as American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, and Comparative Political Studies.

Scientific Awards:

• 2020 APSA Best Fieldwork Award
• 2021 Juan Linz Prize for Best Dissertation in the Comparative Study of Democracy
• Leon Weaver Best Paper Award (APSA Representation and Electoral Systems Section)
• Honorable Mention for the Sage Best Paper Prize (APSA Comparative Politics Section)

Christopher Carter has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring. As a graduate student instructor at UC Berkeley, he taught courses in quantitative methods and African politics, receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. At UVA, he teaches courses such as Latin American Politics, Indigenous Politics in the Americas, and graduate seminars on ethnicity and democracy. He has also led math camps and workshops on natural experiments for PhD students. His research has been supported through fellowships including the Harvard Academy Scholar program and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He is currently finalizing a book contract with Princeton University Press titled The Long Shadow of Extraction: The Origins of Indigenous Autonomy Demands.

He is affiliated with research centers including the Center on the Politics of Development (UC Berkeley) and the Governance and Local Development Institute, where he contributes to collaborative projects on governance, state expansion, and democratic inclusion.