Main research areas

• Forced migration
• Camps
• Everyday humanitarianism

Current research

At an empirical level, my research has focused on the experience of displacement on the one hand, and on how these displaced people have interacted with states and other public authorities (NGOs, churches, etc) on the other. Thematically, I am concerned with the political anthropology of the state, governmentality, humanitarianism and sovereignty. Conceptually, my studies of the experience of displacement and confinement have led me to explore anthropologies of stuckness, anticipation, hope and anxiety, as well as issues of secrecy, conspiracy and invisibility. Geographically, I focus on Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Background

I have a PhD in International Development Studies, Roskilde University, and have taught at Advanced Migration Studies, Copenhagen University.