Sarah Balakrishnan is a doctoral candidate in African History at Harvard University. Her dissertation traces the transformation of  human geographies and human-land relationships in the Gold Coast from the Atlantic slave trade in the 15th century until decolonization in 1957. Her project concerns the emergence of the colonial "masses" in relation to land and space—how changing land tenure patterns, property ownership, and the physical location of social bodies (such as ancestors) led to a decolonization movement "from below." 

Previously, Sarah obtained her B.A. in History and Political Theory at McGill University in 2014, her M.A. in History at Harvard University in 2016, and a Certificate in Anthropology from Harvard University in 2017. From 2018-2019, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge. Her research is also supported by fellowships from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the National Women's Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), the Frederick Sheldon Travelling Fellowship at Harvard's Gradual School of Arts and Science (GSAS), the Merit Award from Harvard GSAS, and multiple awards from the Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs (WCIA). 

Her latest journal articles have appeared in The Journal of African History (2020), The International Journal of African Historical Studies (2020), Souls (2020), History Compass (2017), Transition: An International Review (2016), and The Routledge International Handbook for Cosmopolitanism Studies (2019). In her spare time, Sarah also does creative writing and is a former international debating champion.

Sarah can be reached via email at sbalakrishnan@g.harvard.edu. Her Twitter handle is @SMCBalakrishnan, and her blog is sarahbalakrishnan.tumblr.com.