Kirsten Weld specializes in the history of 20th-century Mexico, Central America, and the Southern Cone. Her work delves into revolutionary and counterrevolutionary movements, the Cold War, dictatorships, and transitional justice. She also explores memory, indigenous history, and the politics of history and archival access. Beyond her academic research, she serves as an expert witness in cases involving Central American immigrants. Her scholarship illuminates the complex societal and political forces shaping this region.
In 2005, human rights investigators stumbled on the archives of Guatemala's National Police. In Paper Cadavers, Kirsten Weld tells the story of the astonishing discovery and rescue of 75 million pages of evidence of state- sponsored crimes, and analyzes the repercussions for both the people and the state of Guatemala.