Biography

I am very grateful to have received a Gates scholarship to start my PhD research in Social Anthropology this year. I will be preparing for fieldwork next year in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There I will research the niche in trade between Kinshasa (DRC) and Brazzaville (capital of Republic of Congo) over the Congo River, a niche completely dominated by disabled traders. I am specifically interested in how the traders manage to turn their marginalised social position around in this African border zone. I will be looking into how the niche originated, which survival techniques the disabled use to keep it alive, and what the future of the niche will look like. After my PhD I hope to continue research through the international academic community and to use my findings in development cooperation.