AfOx Fellow
2023
Associate Professor
Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies
University of Ilorin
Nigeria

Research Interests

  • Resources Governance
  • Peacebuilding and Development
  • Traditional Models of Conflict Resolution
  • Human Rights and Security
  • Gender Studies

Professor Abosede Omowumi Babatunde

Abosede Omowumi Babatunde is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Professor Babatunde is an AfOx Visiting Fellow at the Africa Studies Centre, University of Oxford, as part of the Africa Oxford Visiting Fellowship Programme.

Dr. Babatunde is a highly accomplished academic and researcher. She has received several prestigious fellowships throughout her career, including the African Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2010, the American Council of Learned Societies and the Research Fellowship in Peace Studies in 2013 at the Consortium for Peace Studies, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In addition, she was a Fellow of the Rachel Carson Centre for Environment and Society, Ludwig-Maximillian University, Munich, Germany in 2017/18, and a Fellow of the Brown International Advanced Research Institute (BIARI), Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States in 2017. She was also a Guest Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden in 2019. Dr. Babatunde's research has been supported by research grants from various organizations, including the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), African Peacebuilding Network of the Social Science Research Council (APN/SSRC), the American Political Science Association Centennial Research Grant, and the International Peace Research Association Foundation Grant.

Dr. Babatunde's research interests include Conflict Resolution, Resources Governance, Human rights and Security, Peacebuilding, and Gender Studies. She co-authored the book "Managing Violent Religious Extremism in Fragile States: Building Institutional Capacity in Nigeria and Kenya" as part of the Routledge African Governance Series, which was recommended by CHOICE.

While in Oxford, Dr. Babatunde will be working on a research project titled "Petromodernity and Cultural Resilience: Oil Conflict, Indigenous Ritual Practices, and Peacebuilding in Nigeria's Niger Delta." Her study will explore how certain extractive communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria utilize their cultural belief systems to manage oil conflict and establish sustainable peace. Drawing from her ethnographic fieldwork, this research aims to elucidate how traditional belief systems and cultural practices are leveraged in extractive communities to resolve conflicts and foster peaceful coexistence.

Selected Publications

  • Babatunde, A.O. (2023). Oil Exploitation and Food Insecurity in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Journal of Modern African Studies. Vol. 61, Issue 2, Pp. 165-187 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-modern-african-studies/article/abs/oil-exploitation-and-food-insecurity-in-nigerias-niger-delta/1BE70F788DB8CEEF6EC724C5DC68E7A2
  • Babatunde, A.O. (2020). Local Perspectives on Food Security in Nigeria's Niger Delta. The Extractive Industries and Society. Vol. 7. Issue 3, Pp. 931 939.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214790X20302148?via%3Dihub
  • Babatunde, A.O. (2020). Oil pollution and Water Conflicts in the Riverine Communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region: Challenges for and Elements of Problem-solving Strategies. Journal of Contemporary African Studies. Vol. 38, No. 2. Pp. 274-293. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2020.1730310 9.
  • Babatunde, A.O., Ersoy, M., Miller, L., and Thiel, S. (2020). Co-Creating Sustainable Peace in Nigeria: Applying Prior Success of Peace Journalism. International Journal on World Peace. Vol. XXXVII, Issue 2. Pp. 11-36. https://ijwp.org/annual- indexes/volume-xxxvii-2020/
  • Obi, C. and Babatunde, A.O. (2019). Introduction: The Challenge of Building Resilience in Post-conflict African States: What role for local institutions? African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review. Vol. 9. No. 2. Pp. 1-8.
  • Babatunde, A.O. (2019). Environmental Conflict, Traditional Institutions, and Durable Peace in Niger Delta. African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review. Vol. 9. No. 2. Pp. 33-54. 12.