Postgraduate research in peace and conflict is thriving, with students engaged in internationally significant and cutting-edge research.
Lorinne Du Toit (Ph.D candidate) is studying policy-action relationships in international development cooperation with focus on implementation of the good governance agenda. Australia, Sweden and Mozambique are the empirical study sites. The aim is to elucidate political and ethical implications for policy coherence and development partnerships. The title of her thesis is 'The good governance agenda: A case of policy paradox in development?'.
Ervin Enver (Ph.D candidate) is researching his thesis on "Kingdom Vs. Republic; an analytical look at an approaching Complex Political Emergency in Nepal, and the possibilities of a strategic subversion". He asks the question of how a developed Azarian conflict analysis model, combined with qualitatively new techniques/lexica, can be used to contribute to the current analysis of the conflict and to the design of appropriate track interventions and non-violent conflict resolution/transformation strategies in Nepal.
Barb King (Ph.D. candidate) is doing research on how women are included in peacebuilding and the recovery of conflict. She is particularly interested in the cases Bougainville and East Timor. The working title of her thesis is 'Women in Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Transformation'.
Jennifer Laakso (Ph.D. candidate) has conducted fieldwork throughout Timor-Leste over the past 6 years, investigating the country’s formal and informal transitional justice mechanisms. Her research explores what Timor-Leste can tell us about kinds of transitional justice mechanisms that could foster sustainable peace. The working title of her thesis is 'Timor-Leste’s Transitional Justice Process: 1999-2005'.
Stephanie Lerche is conducting a comparative study into the influence of religious leaders during the struggle for Independence versus their current role within politics in the Republic of Vanuatu. The focus will be on women's issues as they are matters of continuing contestation within the country. The working title of her thesis is 'Religion, Gender and Power in Vanuatu'.
Claire Rawnsley (M.Phil. candidate) is examining the relation between political order and East Timorese culture and identity, asking: what elements contribute to form a strong national consciousness and social cohesion?
Matthew Tan (Ph.D. candiate) proposes a theory of metaxic participation in a transcendent order, as a more holistic alternative to the constructivist notion of identity, in trying to understand the peacemaking actions of religious actors. He uses uses the Roman Catholic Church as a case study, and chronicles how, in participating in this order, Catholic theology on issues of peace and justice evolve in response to changing sociopolitical dynamics. The working title of the theses is 'Politics and Theology in 20th Century Roman Catholic Peacemaking'.