Balzan PhD Fellowship: Welcoming our first cohort of scholars in restorative justice and peacemaking

We are pleased to introduce the first Fellows to be announced under the Balzan PhD Fellowships on New Horizons in Restorative Justice and Restorative Peacemaking.

This is an initiative led by Emeritus Distinguished Professor John Braithwaite through his 2024 Balzan Prize, awarded in recognition of his contributions to contemporary restorative justice and his commitment to strengthening social institutions and community-building.

The fellowships aim to expand the horizons of restorative justice research globally, including Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Oceania and Asia. With a primary geographic focus on Africa, the program will support dozens of emerging African scholars to produce papers on restorative justice or peacemaking in 20 or more war-afflicted African countries.

Guided by Deputy Directors Dr Yan Zhang (The Australian National University) and Assistant Professor Zelalem Testaye Sirna (University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), the program will draw on their regional expertise and leadership to foster innovative scholarship and support meaningful contributions to restorative justice and peacemaking efforts around the world.

We warmly welcome our first cohort of Fellows.

Chikaodili Orakwue

University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Charles Ekpo

University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria

Yayew Genet

Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

Daniel Mekonnen

Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Find out more about our Balzan PhD Fellows here.