Michelle J. Bellino

Michelle J. Bellino is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education. Her research focuses on education’s role in youth civic development within contexts of armed conflict, forced displacement, and transitional justice. She explores how experiences with violence, asylum, and peace processes shape young people’s participation in schools and society, emphasizing historical consciousness and democratic reconciliation.

Her work integrates ethnographic methods and youth participatory action research, examining issues like refugee education in Kakuma Camp (Kenya), Colombia’s post-conflict peace education, and Guatemala’s postwar civic identity. Key awards include the United States Institute of Peace Peace Scholar designation and the Council of Anthropology and Education’s Outstanding Book Award (2018) for Youth in Postwar Guatemala.

Grants & Projects:

• “For Us, By Us: Visualizing Refugee Youth Perspectives” (2023–2024)
• “Teaching Peace in a Charged Landscape” (2019–2021)
• “Education and Belonging in Kakuma Refugee Camp” (2017–2018)

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Kakuma Youth Research Group and partners with institutions in Colombia and Guatemala to study education’s role in transitional justice and civic development.