Laia Balcells

Laia Balcells is a Professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University, along with M.Phil and M.A. degrees in Political Science from Yale, and a B.A. in Political Science from Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Her research focuses on political violence, civil wars, nationalism, and transitional justice.

Her primary research examines the dynamics of violence in civil wars, post-conflict societies, and territorial disputes, with significant work on the Spanish Civil War and contemporary conflicts in Colombia and Catalonia. Key interests include the legacy of violence on political identities, mechanisms of transitional justice, and the relationship between historical memory and contemporary politics.

Recent publications concentrate on themes of affective polarization in secessionist movements, the impact of international conflicts on domestic nationalism, and the role of cultural institutions in post-conflict reconciliation. Methodologically, her work combines historical archives with contemporary empirical analysis to study long-term effects of political violence.