Laura Lee Downs

Laura Lee Downs is a Part-time Professor in the Department of History at the European University Institute (EUI), where she leads the ERC Advanced Grant project “Social Politics in European Borderlands, 1870s–1990s: A Comparative and Transnational History.” Her academic work bridges gender history, social policy, and transnational European history, with a focus on working-class movements, childhood, and borderland regions.

Her research interests include:

• Gender and inequality in 20th-century industrial societies
• History of welfare and social justice
• Transnational and comparative social politics
• Nationalism and social action in borderlands
• Working-class childhood and leisure (e.g., colonies de vacances)

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in comparative European history, particularly on gender, war, and social policy. Articles such as “Wartime evacuation and the politics of childhood” and “Women’s Social Action and the Reconfiguration of Politics on the French Right” demonstrate her focus on marginalized groups and the interplay between state policy and grassroots movements. She frequently publishes in leading historical journals like Past and Present and History Workshop Journal.

Her scientific honors include the Pinckney Prize for her book Manufacturing Inequality. She is currently involved in major research clusters on “Inequality, welfare and social justice” and “Social politics in European borderlands.”

She advises researchers and contributes to collaborative academic initiatives at EUI, particularly in gender and transnational history. Her ongoing ERC-funded project underscores her role in securing competitive research grants. She is affiliated with interdisciplinary working groups and contributes to advancing methodologies in social and transnational history.

Laura Downs is based at Villa Salviati in Florence and is active in cross-institutional research networks focused on European social development and historical justice.