Lorraine Bayard de Volo
Professor, Department of Sociology | University of Colorado Boulder
Professor, Department of Sociology | University of Colorado Boulder
I am a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder and faculty affiliate of Political Science. My research focuses on the intersections of gender, political violence, and social movements, with particular attention to revolutionary processes and international conflict.
My work examines how gender shapes and is shaped by political mobilization, war, and revolution, primarily in Latin American contexts—particularly Cuba and Nicaragua—as well as in the United States. I employ an interpretive approach, drawing from extensive archival research, fieldwork, and interviews to understand the complex dynamics of political transformation and conflict.
Examining gendered dimensions of revolutionary mobilization and the role of women in insurgent movements.
Investigating masculinity, agency, and gender dynamics in international crises and military interventions.
Analyzing identity politics, political violence, and the intersection of gender with state power, with particular attention to how culture shapes war and insurrection through states’ and nonstate militaries’ appeals for popular support.
My current work centers on the Cuban Missile Crisis, positioning Cuba as an actor rather than merely a location. This research challenges conventional narratives by examining Cuban agency, national identity, and the gendered dimensions of international crisis decision-making. Drawing from Cuban and international archives, I explore how concepts of masculinity, national martyrdom, and revolutionary identity shaped Cuba's role in this near-nuclear confrontation.
My primary regional focus is Latin America. I have particular expertise in Cuba and Nicaragua and have also conducted fieldwork in Colombia and Mexico (Chiapas). I also incorporate the United States in examining international and transnational dynamics of gender, power, militarization, revolution, and social movements.
I take an interpretive approach to political sociology, combining extensive archival research with fieldwork and interviews. My work draws from sources in multiple countries, including archives in Cuba, Nicaragua, and the United States, supplemented by ethnographic observation and oral histories with political actors and movement participants.
Chair and Professor, Department of Sociology
University of Colorado Boulder, 2025–present
Professor, Women and Gender Studies
University of Colorado Boulder, 2019–2025
Chair, Women and Gender Studies Department
University of Colorado Boulder, 2014–2020
Director, Latin American Studies Center
University of Colorado Boulder, 2011–2014
Prior to joining CU Boulder, I served as Assistant and Associate Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Women's Studies at the University of Kansas from 1998 to 2006.