Articles by Laia Balcells

November 22, 2023

Divided by sovereignty claims – territorial identity and societal polarisation

Laia Balcells

Laia Balcells, Lesley-Ann Daniels, and Alexander Kuo highlight the role of contentious territorial issues in shaping societal divisions. They study three European regions —Scotland, Catalonia, and Northern Ireland — that have salient territorial claims but very different histories. All three, however, exhibit striking similarities in levels of social polarisation

Laia Balcells

Professor, Department of Government, Georgetown University

Laia's research explores the causes and consequences of political violence and repression, warfare dynamics, nationalism, and transitional justice after conflict.

She has also published over thirty articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Her research has been supported by the Harry Frank Guggenheim foundation and the Folke Bernadotte Academy, among others.

She tweets @laiabalcells

Rivalry and Revenge: the Politics of Violence during Civil War
Cambridge University Press, 2017

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