People Feature

Maela Guillaume-Le Gall

DPhil in Sociology

I am a DPhil (PhD) candidate in Sociology at the University of Oxford.

My research examines the role of spatial inequality in shaping political discontent, ranging from voting to more contentious forms of mobilisation. In particular, I examine public service deprivation and processes of segregation—especially in small and medium-sized towns—and their impact on political discontent. The empirical focus of my Dphil is primarily on France (the Yellow Vest movement, pension reform protests, and the 2023 riots), with a comparative perspective on Chile. My work is supervised by Prof. Michael Biggs and Christiaan Monden.

I also work with Prof. Marco Oberti (CRIS, Sciences Po) on the socio-territorial dynamics of the 2005 and 2023 French riots.

Before coming to Oxford, I completed a master’s in Data and Economics for Public Policy at École Polytechnique and ENSAE, as well as a research master’s in Political Science at Sciences Po. Alongside my studies, I worked as a research assistant in France (CRIS/LIEPP, Sciences Po), Chile (CEAS, Universidad Mayor), and Belgium (ISPOLE, UCLouvain).

Publications

Guillaume-Le Gall, M., Humbert-Labeaumaz, A., Augé, A., Pascolo, L., Reuchamps, M. (2026). French big
brother is watching Belgium: how French newspapers covered Belgian political crises? Comparative European
Politicshttps://doi.org/10.1057/s41295-025-00444-5

Oberti, M. & Guillaume-Le Gall, M. (2024). Les territoires des émeutes. La ségrégation urbaine au cœur des
violences, La Vie des idées, 12 avril 2024. ISSN : 2105-3030.