Dr Cynthia Kamwengo

BA (UNZA), MA (Flinders), PhD (Durham)

Fellow (B), Postgraduate Mentor

College Roles

Margaret Anstee Centre Research Fellow (B)
Postgraduate Mentor

Contact

Biography

Dr Cynthia M. Kamwengo is a Research Fellow at the Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies at Newnham College. She is an academic and policy analyst whose research focuses on the geopolitics of development, knowledge production and policy diffusion.

Cynthia holds a PhD in Human Geography from Durham University, an MA in International Development from Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia) and a BA in Development Studies and Economics from the University of Zambia (Lusaka, Zambia). Prior to joining Newnham College, Cynthia held the CDS Fellowship in International Development at the University of Bath and provided research consultancy services to diverse agencies, including the OECD-DCD.

Research Interests

Dr Kamwengo’s current research project is using a historical perspective to understand the Zambian government’s strategies for strengthening its trusteeship over the economy, shaping the public’s minds for economic development, and building a national identity. It also examines the source of theories that suggest foreign actors are engaging in economic sabotage and Zambia’s evolving approach to non-alignment in international relations. The project casts light on how these themes are affected by social media influence operations as well as public memory of the Cold War and the political decolonization of southern Africa. Project outputs include a documentary and a book that will make conceptual contributions to research on African agency, nation-building, and multilateralism.