Kathrin Bachleitner

Kathrin Bachleitner is a Research Fellow at the University of Salzburg’s Salzburg Center for European Union Studies (SCEUS), affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences. She specializes in International Relations with a focus on EU-Middle East relations, post-conflict reconciliation, and the societal impact of war. Her work explores collective memory, historical trauma, and atonement practices in global diplomacy. She holds a PhD from Oxford University (2019) and has extensive policy advising experience with governments and NGOs.

• Education: Mag. Phil. (Political Science, University of Salzburg, 2008), MA (International Relations, Johns Hopkins SAIS, 2010), DPhil (Oxford University, 2019)

Research interests: Her conceptual framework integrates collective identities, social trauma, and historical memory into analyses of international relations. Key themes include legacies of war (e.g., Ukraine, Syria), memory politics in EU diplomacy, and atonement strategies for mass atrocities. She has published a monograph with Oxford University Press (2021) and peer-reviewed articles in leading journals like International Security and Journal of Peace Research.

Professional roles: She advises on post-conflict reconciliation, truth commissions, and commemoration policies. Regular contributor to media commentaries on European and Middle Eastern politics.