Ubuntu Leadership
Theorising and applying Ubuntu as a leadership philosophy rooted in collective being, relational accountability, and community-centred practice, with particular attention to African women's leadership traditions.
Scholarship
Research Interests
Thirteen interconnected areas of inquiry grounded in Ubuntu philosophy, African Indigenous feminist thought, and applied human rights.
African Women and Girls' Leadership
Centring African women and girls as rights-bearing leaders and knowledge-holders; researching how leadership is practised, transmitted, and recognised across generations and across urban and rural Zambia.
Educational Policy
Examining how education policy can advance or obstruct girls' rights, Indigenous knowledge, and gender-responsive learning environments, with policy contributions to Brookings Institution and Canadian Senate reform debates.
African Ontological and Epistemological Frameworks (Ubuntu Womanism)
Theorising Ubuntu Womanism as an original African ontological and epistemological framework that names and gives scholarly language to the leadership African women have long practised, grounded in Bemba community knowledge.
Human Rights in African and Global Contexts
Examining human rights frameworks through African epistemologies and lived experience, with a focus on community-based approaches to rights recognition, advocacy, and education.
Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination
Examining girls' and women's leadership rights in rural Zambia through Indigenous frameworks, with policy applications for international development and rights-based programming.
Gender and Women's Rights
Advancing gender justice through African feminist and Ubuntu frameworks, centring women's self-determination, community leadership, and rights-based approaches to development.
Digital Equity, Technology Rights, and Gender Justice
Investigating the intersection of gender justice, digital inclusion, and African Indigenous frameworks, including the ZAMWILL Girls Hackathon model as a case study in girls' digital rights and STEM leadership.
Strengths-Based Frameworks
Applying strengths-based approaches to research and practice with African women and girls, centring asset-based perspectives and community capacities as the foundation for sustainable leadership and social change.
Community-Based Participatory Research
Applying participatory action research, photo-narrative, and storytelling methodologies to centre the knowledge and lived experience of African women and girls in academic inquiry.
International Development and Applied Human Rights
Connecting rights-based frameworks to development programming across education, gender, health, and community sectors, drawing on direct practice with the Canadian Red Cross, PEAS, and CAMARA.
Human Rights Education and Policy
Designing and delivering rights-based curricula and policy analysis, including contributions to Canadian Senate reform debates and Brookings Institution policy dialogues.
Comparative and International Education
Applying critical education theory across African and global contexts, with a focus on equity, anti-oppression, and Indigenous knowledge systems in educational systems and policy.
Teaching Competencies
Areas of Teaching
- Human Rights in African and Global Contexts
- Ubuntu Leadership and African Women and Girls' Leadership
- Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination
- Gender, Rights, and International Development
- Indigenous Development Theory and Practice
- Feminist and Indigenous Approaches to Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation
- Strengths-Based and Community-Based Research Methods
- Applied Human Rights and Rights-Based Policy Analysis