Cathy Wilcock

Working at the intersection of political anthropology and cultural geography, I contribute to the interdisciplinary fields of African studies and transnational studies. My empirical work is grounded in East Africa and its European diasporas, exploring how transnational dynamics shape political movements and communities. I am currently based at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester where I am a research fellow on the ESRC-funded project 'Transcontinental Urban Citizenship: Crisis, connection and policy coherence between UK cities and the Somali peninsula'.

Prior to joining the Global Development Institute I was a lecturer in International Politics at the University of Bristol, and before that, a researcher at the International Institute for Social Studies in the Hague, Netherlands. These roles build on my PhD which I received from the University of Manchester. Across various projects I have analysed transnational music scenes, print cultures, social movements and community organisations as vectors of political change. Findings from all of these projects are featured in Journal of Eastern African Studies, African Affairs, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Qualitative Research, Global Networks, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

My work has received funding from the ESRC, NWO, British Academy, Arts Council England and the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation.