Research
During my time at CRASSH, I will work primarily on a project on “Foreign Aid and LGBTI Rights in the Global South: International and Local Dynamics”, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This project analyses a relatively new phenomenon whereby Western donor governments and international organizations increasingly pay attention and provide support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights in the “Global South”. LGBTI rights are, in fact, at the forefront of the struggle to advance human rights around the world, with a very uneven response across and even within regions. The role of foreign aid in this process has not yet been systematically documented and analysed, despite its growing importance and potential impact. I am interested in who is doing what in this area, what works and what does not, what unintended consequences might arise and how to remedy them. I will also begin work on a new SSHRC-funded project, “Strategic Litigation and the Decriminalization of Homosexuality in Sub-Saharan Africa”, which will involve in-depth studies of constitutional challenges in Kenya, Botswana and Mauritius. The University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies will co-host me during my stay, funded by a Leverhulme Visiting Professorship.
About
I am a professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa (Canada), where I am also affiliated with the School of International Development and Global Studies. My research focuses mainly on the intersection of the policies and practices of Northern countries and other international actors with politics in Southern countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. I have published on democratization, political violence, peacebuilding and transitional justice/rule of law in Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Rwanda. Much of my recent research has been on foreign aid, for which I have conducted fieldwork in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mongolia and Peru. My current research focuses on domestic and international dimensions of LGBTI rights. Since 2009, I have held visiting researcher positions in Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Pronouns: he/him.
