Position Title
Assistant Professor in African American & African Studies
Shingirai’s scholarship focuses on the political economy of development in east and southern Africa, particularly the governance of high value extractive natural resources such as oil and minerals. He is currently working on turning his dissertation, entitled, “Nations within a state and the emerging hydrocarbons industry in Uganda” into his first monograph. This project examines the themes of indigeneity and natural resource ownership, post-colonial state formation and political competition, and the global matrix of resource extraction and dispossession.
Before joining UC Davis, he was based at Wellesley College where he held pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and senior administrative appointments that included coordinating the prestigious Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF). He is also a Mellon Mays Fellow, and has mentored junior fellows at Bowdoin College, Amherst College, and the University of the Witwatersrand.
His scholarly work has received support from several organizations including the Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC), Institute for Citizens and Scholars (formerly Woodrow Wilson), Trillium Scholarship (Canada), the Southern African Student Education Program (Canada), and the Canon Collins Trust (UK).
Shingirai has also worked as a consulting regional expert for a United Kingdom-based political risk consulting company, providing business-critical analysis and reports to corporate clients and media organizations. He is originally from Zimbabwe, and has lived in South Africa, Uganda, and Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, biking, and the occasional braai (barbecue).
Publications:
Taodzera, S (2023), (with Dendere, C) “Zimbabwean civil society survival in the post-coup environment: A Political Settlements analysis,” Interest Groups and Advocacy Journal, Springer Publishing, pp 132-152
Taodzera, S. (2022) (with J. Andrew Grant, Evelyn N. Mayanja, and Dawit Tesfamichael) “Natural Resource Governance in Africa.” In Nukhet Sandal, ed. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp 1-46
Taodzera, S. “A Natural Resource Boon or Impending Doom in East Africa? Political Settlements and Governance Dynamics in Uganda’s Oil Sector” In Nathan Andrews and J. Andrew Grant, eds. Corporate Social Responsibility, and Canada’s Role in Africa’s Extractive Sectors, University of Toronto Press (UTP), 2020
Taodzera, S, (with Ashaba, I.) “A Political Chronicle of Uganda, 2017-2018,” In Reyntjens, F. (Ed). L’Afrique des grands lacs Annuaire, Antwerp, 2019
Taodzera, S. A comparative analysis of community natural resource ownership between South Africa’s Bafokeng and Uganda’s Bunyoro kingdoms (In Progress)
Media: Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-week-on-the-frontiers-december-1st-2018-1543676477
- Ph.D. International Development, University of Ottawa
- M.A. Political Science, Dalhousie University
- M.A. International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand
- Political economy of development in post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa
- Governance of extractive natural resources, energy, and the environment
- International development theory, policy, and practice
- Liberation movements and politics of nation-building in Africa
- Traditional kingdoms in post-colonial politics in Africa
- Presidential politics and leadership in Africa
- Comparative analysis of state systems
- Political violence, civil war, and post-conflict reconstruction
- Research methods and critical theory
- African Studies Association, International Political Science Association, International Studies Association