Upcoming event
OxPeace Inaugural Seminar: Dr Makena Micheni
Location
Simpkins Lee Theatre
Start date
The Oxford Network of Peace Studies (OxPeace) will host LMH Junior Research Fellow in Peace Studies, Dr Makena Micheni, for her inaugural seminar. The seminar will be followed by a celebratory drinks reception in the Monson Room.
All are welcome, no registration required.
Abstract:
Dr Micheni uses Boko Haram as a case study to delve into the operations of extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on the unique cultural contexts in which they function. The talk explores how such groups navigate ethnically diverse environments and manage to forge a sense of collective homogeneity, even in the face of internal diversity.
Drawing from first-hand interviews with ex-fighters and a thorough examination of the group’s operational dynamics, including recruitment, indoctrination, combat leadership, and unit behaviour, the talk identifies moments when, despite Boko Haram’s aim to transcend ethnic boundaries, ethnicity nonetheless becomes a defining factor within specific combatant units. It develops a theoretical framework to explain these instances, building on and extending existing socialisation theories to understand when and why socialisation processes fail, ultimately causing ethnicity to resurface within these units. By exploring how tribal and ethnic considerations influence the group’s functioning, the talk provides a more nuanced understanding of contemporary insurgent groups and the social forces that shape them.
About Dr Micheni
Dr Micheni, a Kenyan-British scholar, completed her PhD at the London School of Economics on ethnicity in African extremist groups. She holds a BA in Politics and International Relations from Lancaster University and an MA in Terrorism and Political Violence from St Andrews, where she also lectured in International Relations. She has worked with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Nairobi on the STRIVE programme, focused on strengthening resilience against violent extremism in the Horn of Africa. Her research interests include political violence, radicalisation, extremism, ethnicity, insurgency, state violence, and civilian resistance, with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Her doctoral work has recently been published as a book: Combatant Experiences in Multi-Ethnic Extremist Groups: Identity and Allegiance in Boko Haram (Routledge, 2025).
About the Levin Junior Research Fellowship in Peace Studies at LMH
This Fellowship, the first Peace Studies post in Oxford’s history, was named in memory of Jerry and Sis Levin, who devoted their lives to the pursuit of peace following Jerry Levin’s kidnapping in Beirut in the 1980s. Endowed by their children, the Fellowship supports outstanding early-career academics and strengthens connections between scholarship and wider national and international communities.