Profile

My first name is pronounced Dah-En. I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Politics and International Studies. I have previously received an MSc in Comparative Politics and a BSc in Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Before joining Warwick, I worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Policy Centre and an international parliamentary advocacy network. I also have years of teaching experience. I am currently working as a Research Assistant for the Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID).

Research

The working title of my doctoral thesis is Legitimation in Contemporary Partnership Peacekeeping. Focusing on the partnership between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), my research aims to understand how the institutional partnership is constructed as a legitimation strategy in peacekeeping. It takes an agent-focused discourse analysis approach, where discourse materials - strategic documents and staff interviews - are analysed thematically. In doing so, I also reflect on illustrative cases of the UN-AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM). More broadly, I am interested in the workings of legitimation efforts and struggles within the contemporary global-regional peace and security structure.

My PhD project is co-supervised by Dr Jessica Di Salvatore and Dr Briony Jones. Professor Michael Saward was a temporary second supervisor for this project in 2022.

Areas of my research interest include:

• Peacekeeping/Peacebuilding
• Legitimacy and Legitimation
• Global/Regional governance
• Peace and security in Africa
• United Nations
• African Union

Teaching

2023/24 - PO231 International Security

2022/23 - PO131 World Politics

2021/22 - PO131 World Politics

Conference Presentations

• Audiences and Legitimation in Regional-Global Partnership Peacekeeping. British International Studies Association (BISA) 2024 Conference, Birmingham, June 2024.
• "African Solutions to African Problems"? Ownership and Legitimacy in the AU-UN Partnership Peace Operations. Midlands African Studies Hub (MASH) Conference, University of Warwick, May 2024
• Legitimacy Crisis and the UN-AU Partnership in Contemporary Peacekeeping Operations. BISA Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Working Group Conference, Open University, February 2023
• Sharing the Responsibility to Protect: Peacekeeping Partnership as the UN's Legitimation Strategy. BISA Intervention and Responsibility to Protect (IR2P) Working Group Annual Conference, University of Leeds, November 2022
• Legitimacy in Practice. (co-presented with Evelyn Strongylakou) PAIS Research Conference, University of Warwick, June 2022

Other Activities

• Research Assistant for the Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID)

• Co-Chair of the 2022-23 Critical International and Political Studies (CRIPS) graduate working group

• Co-Representative of PAIS Graduate Teaching Assistants