معرفی
Laura C. Balladur is a Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies at Bates College since 2003, affiliated with the European Studies program. She holds a Ph.D. from Duke University and specializes in translation theory, science-literature intersections, and the embodied mind. Her research explores colonial legacies in the Democratic Republic of Congo and creative non-fiction. Recent work includes a Faculty Development Grant-funded trip to colonial archives in Brussels and the DRC, examining infrastructural and cultural impacts of colonialism. She teaches courses such as 'Science and Literature' and 'Translation: Theory and Practice,' and collaborates with students in Bukavu through the Bridges to Bukavu initiative.
Education: Ph.D., Duke University.
Research Interests: Translation studies, 18th-century science, Congo’s colonial history, creative non-fiction, and semiotics of dance. Her current project critiques extractive economies in the DRC through oral histories and archival research.
Teaching & Advising: Mentored over 10 theses, including studies on translation theory, colonialism, and Enlightenment literature. Courses emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, linking literature to science and cultural theory.
Grants & Projects: 2022 Faculty Development Grant enabled fieldwork in the DRC and collaborative teaching with Bukavu students. The Bridges to Bukavu project showcases student translations and original texts from cross-continental exchanges.
