Miguel Centellas

Dr. Miguel Centellas is an Instructional Associate Professor of Sociology and Undergraduate Program Coordinator at the University of Mississippi's Department of Sociology and Anthropology, housed within the College of Liberal Arts. Born in Bolivia and raised in the U.S., his career bridges academic research and pedagogical innovation. His research focuses on political sociology, particularly Bolivia's democratization processes, political identity formation, and the intersection of institutional reforms with socioeconomic factors. He also explores social science education methodologies, emphasizing curriculum design's role in fostering student skills and civic engagement.

Education: B.A. Political Science (Central Michigan University, 1997), M.A. (2000) and Ph.D. (2007) in Political Science from Western Michigan University. Key honors include a 2003 Fulbright Fellowship for Bolivian fieldwork and 2006 Graduate Fellowship from the American Academy of Political and Social Science. His teaching spans political sociology, democracy studies, and global research methods. He has expanded the department’s political sociology offerings since 2015.

Research Themes: Bolivia’s political stability and instability cycles, democracy measurement critiques, and pedagogical strategies for enhancing student efficacy. Over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters address these areas, with recent work analyzing Bolivia’s 2022 political landscape and racial efficacy gaps in introductory courses.

Professional Engagement: Host of the Latin American Politics podcast, contributor to policy recommendations for U.S.-Latin America relations, and frequent media commentator on Bolivian politics. His lab, Miguel Centellas ResearchGate, hosts datasets on Bolivian elections and democracy indices.