Joséphine Lechartre, a former Kellogg Institute Doctoral Affiliate who earned a PhD in political science and peace studies in 2024, has been awarded the 2025 Gabriel A. Almond Award by the American Political Science Association (APSA) for the best dissertation in the field of comparative politics. Lechartre was part of the doctoral program at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies until graduating last spring. Both the Kroc Institute and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies are within the Keough School of Global Affairs.

Lechartre, whose groundbreaking research focuses on transitional justice policies, civilian victimization in wars, and post-conflict political behavior, has made significant contributions to understanding the impact of wartime violence on indigenous identity formation and political mobilization in post-war Guatemala. During her time at the Kellogg Institute, she was a research affiliate with the Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab (V-TJLab) and received support from several prestigious fellowships and grants.

The Gabriel A. Almond Award, established in recognition of Gabriel Almond’s foundational contributions to comparative politics, is among the most distinguished honors for early-career scholars in the discipline. Lechartre’s dissertation stood out for its innovative use of both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, surveys, archival research, and community-based workshops.

Currently, Lechartre is a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University’s Center for Interamerican Policy and Research, where she is developing her book project on the long-term political legacies of genocide in Guatemala. She remains actively engaged in research and teaching on issues of political violence, migration, and peacebuilding across Latin America.

Originally published by Kellogg Institute at research.nd.edu on June 02, 2025.