Charlotte Gaudreau is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at McGill University. Her academic background includes an M.A. in Sociology from McGill University and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Université du Québec à Montréal. Her research interests are diverse and encompass the study of nationalism and the long-term effects of colonialism, with a particular focus on employing historical-comparative methods. For her doctoral dissertation project, she is turning her attention to the meso and micro-level dynamics of politicized identities in Lebanon and will thus conduct a year-long fieldwork in Beirut. 

Project description: 

Charlotte’s doctoral research seeks to examine the cycles of trans-communal contentious politics in deeply divided societies. Departing from social science literature's strong emphasis on the deep entrenchment of ethnic identities, she takes trans-communal social movements as a lens to look at how politicized identities are practiced and transformed. She will delve into the context of Lebanon, where following a decade marked by increased mobilization, the trans-communal social movement has waned, leading to a reduction in civic engagement. Through life-history interviews and participant observation, she will explore the enduring impacts of these cycles on the trajectories and identities of individuals and trans-communal organizations.