PhD Studentships in the Ideas of Anti-Autocratic Movements in Africa (2026)

What you get

We will provide two 3.5-year fully-funded PhD studentships, which will include:

• Tuition fees, domestic or international (we have funds to support up to one student on international fees);
• A tax-free bursary for living costs commensurate with UKRI rates, currently £20,780 and rising during the award;
• A generous research budget to cover at least six months of field research;
• Conference travel; and
• Travel to and participation in NEWREPUBLIC academic workshops and practitioner-facing dissemination events.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

NEWREPUBLIC is a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant which asks: what are the ideas that animate anti-autocratic movements in Africa, and beyond? Despite the importance of this question, answers to it remains remarkably underdeveloped. NEWREPUBLIC will galvanise research on this topic, with the aim of generating practitioner-oriented conclusions. It will be undertaken by a team of five led by the Principal Investigator, Dr. Dan Paget.

 One of the foundational claims for this project is that a series of anti-autocratic movements in Africa articulate people power philosophies. These people power movements, like those in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, put ideas of power and domination at the centre of their visions of democratic struggle. As NEWREPUBLIC asks what ideas animate anti-autocratic movements, it will endeavour to (1) extend, (2) enrich and (3) complicate these foundational claims. It will extend them by investigating whether and how these people power philosophies are and are not mirrored in the ideas of other such movements in Africa. It will enrich them by investigating what complementary ideas and practices these movements embrace or confront. It will complicate them by investigating what contradictory or countervailing ideas and practices they also embrace.

What will you focus on?

You will be supervised by a team consisting of  Dr. Dan Paget, Dr. Hannah Richter and/or Prof. Paul Taggart.

As a PhD student in the NEWREPUBLIC team, you will undertake an independent research project of your own design, in pursuit of one or more of the three goals described above. Potential research questions could include, or be variations upon, but not be limited to, any of the following:

• How do other anti-autocratic movements in Africa critique autocracy, envisage democracy, and/or conceptualise their struggles for democracy?
• How are these movements’ ideas instantiated in performance and practice?
• How do these movements draw on or speak to the ideas of other texts, be they from political theory, street talk, online cultures, or some other culture of thought and practice?
• How do they envisage and instantiate in practice their relationships with other movements and allies?

 The interpretation of meanings, inscribed in texts or practices, will be core to your research. So will the analysis of patterns in those meanings. However, you may choose from a series of equally valid qualitative methodologies through which to approach that meaning-making, including elite interviews, non-elite interviews, ethnographic research, netnographic research, analysis of texts and the analysis of images.

 What you will also contribute to, with the NEWREPUBLIC team?

• A rule-bound content analysis of movements’ speeches;
• The organisation and delivery of project workshops with scholars and activists;
• The organisation and delivery of project policy seminars with anti-autocratic activists and stakeholders; and
• The wider mission of the project.

Why Sussex?           

The University of Sussex houses a distinguished research-intensive Politics Department, which came 10^th in its area nationally in the most recent Research Excellency Framework. It has particular strengths in the politics of autocratisation, state capture and political ideology. It houses the world-leading Centre for the Study of Corruption (CSC). Sussex is also host to the Institute for Development Studies, which is consistently ranked first in the world in the QS World Rankings, and the recently inaugurated School for the Progressive Futures. NEWREPUBLIC has strong links to all of these prestigious Sussex institutions, and there will be opportunities for you to establish ties with them too.

 Sussex offers proactive training, upskilling and support of the highest calibre for our 1,300 postgraduate researchers through the Sussex Researcher School.

 The University of Sussex is situated at the foot of the South Downs on a 150-acre campus. It is located just outside of Brighton, one of the UK’s most dynamic and liveable cities. In TimeOut’s 2025 rankings, Brighton is ranked first among UK cities for the happiness,  and friendliness and nightlife. Sussex, meanwhile has been voted the happiest university in the UK in the Unifreshers guide.

Eligibility

To be eligible, a candidate must:

• Be able to begin postgraduate research on a PhD programme starting in September 2026 (successful candidates may only undertake their study full-time, and deferrals are not permitted); and
• Be resident within the UK for the duration of their studies and live within a reasonable distance of the University of Sussex (except for periods of fieldwork, etc).

Candidates who have already commenced their doctoral study (i.e., current postgraduate researchers) are not eligible to apply.

Candidates’ statements of interest should make reference to the following essential criteria and, as relevant, desirable criteria:

Essential criteria

1. An outstanding academic record evidenced by a master’s degree (completed or close to completion) and an undergraduate degree in politics, philosophy, African studies, or another relevant social science or humanities discipline, ideally at distinction/first level (to be evidenced through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, and/or the statement of interest).
2. Insight into the ideas of anti-autocratic movements in Africa (to be evidenced through the research proposal).
3. An original and well-written research proposal which is well-aligned with the subject-matter, approach and goals of NEWREPUBLIC.
4. Expertise in the politics of Africa, or a country or region in Africa (to be evidenced through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, and/or the statement of interest).
5. Proficiency in a language in a spoken in Africa other than English to at least B2 level (to be evidence through the CV, certificates of study, degree transcripts and/or the statement of interest). Languages spoken in Cameroon, Uganda, Angola and Mozambique, including French and Portuguese, are particularly advantageous.

Desirable criteria

1. Methodological expertise in the analysis of political ideology or discourse (to be evidenced through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, the research proposal, and/or the statement of interest).
2. Expertise in political philosophy and/or political theory more widely (to be evidenced through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, the research proposal, and/or the statement of interest).
3. Experience of conducting independent field research in an African context (to be evidenced through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, and/or the statement of interest).
4. Expertise in the politics of autocratic regimes and democratic struggle (to be evidence through the CV, academic references, degrees transcripts, the research proposal, and/or the statement of interest).
5. Experience in engaging with democracy movements or related stakeholders such as civic associations, NGOs or donor organisations (to be evidenced through the CV, the research proposal, and/or the statement of interest).
6. Experience in public communication, in the form of blog-writing, media production, social media content generation (to be evidence through the CV and/or the statement of interest).

Number of scholarships available

Two 

Deadline

6 March 2026 23:45

How to apply

• Apply through the University of Sussex Postgraduate application system. 

Select the PhD in Politics with an entry date of September 2026.

In the Finance & Fees section, state that you wish to be considered for the PhD Studentship in the Ideas of Anti-Autocratic Movements in Africa.

Your formal application should include:

• A no more than 1,000-word statement of interest which explains how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role, and why you wish to undertake the programme of doctoral study as part of NEWREPUBLIC at Sussex.
• A 2,000-word research proposal (excluding list of references). This proposal should outline a vision for the independent research project which you will undertake within the scope of valid topics and approaches outlined above in this advert. It should make clear your research question(s); what principal shortcoming(s) you see in past research on anti-autocratic movement ideas; how your research will address that shortcoming; what approach, methodology and empirical focus you will take; what contribution you expect to make; and why that contribution would be important.
• Your CV (no more than two pages);
• Your degree transcripts and certificates, including of language courses if applicable; and
• Two academic references.

Sponsors

European Research Council

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact socsci-pgradmissions@sussex.ac.uk

Research-related enquiries about the studentship can be addressed to Dr. Paget at d.paget@sussex.ac.uk .

Timetable

Deadline for submitting application: Friday 6 March, 2026

Notification of shortlisted candidates: by Friday 20 March 2026,

Interviews with shortlisted candidates: week of 13 April 2026

Date successful candidate will be notified: end of April 2026.