Daniel E. Agbiboa
By Susan Hirsch
The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution is pleased to announce that Dr. Daniel E. Agbiboa will join its faculty this coming fall as Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Daniel comes to S-CAR from the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Innovations Institute where he was a Perry World House post-doctoral fellow.
Dr. Agbiboa received his PhD in International Development from Oxford University in 2016. He holds an M.Phil. from Cambridge in Development Studies and an MA in International Relations from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal. He also has received two bachelors degrees from South African universities, the first of which is in philosophy and anthropology. Notably, he graduated summa cum laude.
In a time of increasing study on the dynamics of civil war, insurgency and terrorism, it is great to have Dr. Agbiboa's join us with such a dynamic background in each.
Charles Davidson, S-CAR PhD candidate
Dr. Agbiboa has a large, very impressive set of publications in two distinct research streams. The first stream focuses on Corruption, Urbanization, and Development. With a strong interest in African urban expansion and the economic and other effects, he has written extensively about Lagos and other areas of Nigeria. A centerpiece of his research on urbanization has been labor organization, particularly the efforts made by the small scale transport operators that ferry passengers around crowded urban areas using mini-vans and motorcycles. Dr. Agbiboa’s work contributes much to our understanding of how people in the precarious labor situations of today’s global economy organize to gain some economic advantage in environments where corruption and sometimes violent conflict are pervasive. A couple of titles of Dr. Agbiboa’s academic articles provide a sense of his work in this area: “One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards: The Political Culture of Corruption and Cleanups in Nigeria” and “Digging your Early Grave: Why Transport Owners Too are in a Precarious Position.”
We are especially excited about how Dr.Agbiboa will bring his current areas of research and policy work into our classrooms, in undergraduate as well as the graduate settings. Many of our courses are organized around the idea of “engaging conflict,” giving students the opportunity to consider critically the relationship between social science theories, conflict analysis and conflict resolution work, by focusing on particular cases, like Boko Haram; social ecologies, like urban Africa; and thematic concerns, like corruption or environmental security. Dr. Agbiboa contributes via his research and work in policy to all of these areas, and by teaching them, he will greatly enrich the education of S-CAR students.
Kevin Avruch, Dean
Dr. Agbiboa’s second research stream, Terrorism, Political Violence, and Non-State Governance, will increase S-CAR’s ability to address these perennially important topics in new ways. Dr. Agbiboa has published on the rise and resilience of Boko Haram and relatedly on religious identity in relation to violence. He is also pursuing research on the links between environmental insecurity and violent conflict. Dr. Agbiboa’s approach to research is primarily qualitative, often centered on field-based in-depth interviews and participant observation. He has conducted research in a wide variety of social settings with a broad range of actors, such as minibus drivers, policy-makers, union bosses, cross-border traders, and terrorism experts. Just a few of his publication venues are: African Affairs, Peace Research, Conflict Studies Quarterly, Journal of Terrorism Research, and many others. He is working on book manuscripts related to both research streams.
Dr. Agbiboa has worked as consultant to a variety of organizations, including the African Union, the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM), and Transparency International, among others. His research has been funded by several universities, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, and the Aga Khan Foundation.
The highly competitive search that resulted in Dr. Agbiboa's hire was framed broadly and attracted over 230 applicants from the United States and abroad. We are thrilled that he is joining our faculty
Susan Hirsch, S-CAR faculty