Rahel Weldeab Sebhatu
Doctoral student

Presentation

I am a PhD candidate in Global Politics in the Department of Global Political Studies. I received my masters at Lund University's Graduate School in Global Studies, major: Political Science. My research interests include postcolonial feminism, postcolonial theory, decoloniality, negotiation theory, diplomacy, critical security studies, (youth participation in) peacebuilding, Pan-Africanism, transnational activism and resistance.

My PhD project aims to analyze Africa-EU development cooperation by examining negotiation processes between African states and the EU from a postcolonial perspective. While critically engaging with negotiation theory, intercultural communication,the postcolonial politics of development, and debates on Normative Power Europe (NPE), it presents an analytical framework that challenges dominant narratives and highlights the multidirectional power dynamics in aid negotiations through grounded theory. By presenting alternative perspectives from African states and historicizing postcolonial encounters, the research shows that development cooperation is a political act rather than humanitarian aid. The analytical framework is operationalized through two case studies, namely Eritrea-EU and Rwanda-EU relations. The study contributes to Global Political Studies and postcolonial/decolonial feminist international relations (IR).