Marjoke Oosterom
Biographic Data
| ID | 1018564 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marjoke Oosterom |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marjoke |
| FAMILY NAME | Oosterom |
| SIGNATURE | OOSTEROM M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Sussex |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8901-9928 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 102 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Everyday authoritarianism in Zimbabwe
Shades of party activism
Social and gender norms informing, voicing, and reporting against sexual harassment among domestic workers in Kampala's informal economy
Workplace sexual harassment as a feature of precarious work in Uganda's agro‐processing factories
Introduction to special section
Young female traders’ quest for viability in Zimbabwe's politicised urban spaces
This article analyses the viability struggles of young female traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. It makes a conceptual contribution to debates about viability, which captures how young people connect and pursue aims across diverse life domains (referred to as 'thinking and acting across'), by addressing gender and generational power dynamics. The article demonstrates how young female traders in Harare are thinking and acting across the domains of work …
Ruling Party Patronage, Brokerage, and Contestations at Urban Markets in Harare
This study contributes to debates on varieties of clientelism through an analysis of brokerage and ruling party patronage at urban markets in Harare, Zimbabwe. Urban markets are sites of contestation between the opposition-dominated city council and actors aligned with the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union—Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Based on qualitative case study research at two designated markets, the article demonstrates how ru…
Family dynamics and implications for young people's 'struggles' in rural areas of post-conflict northern Uganda
A growing body of literature on wartime social change reveals how disruptions in social institutions can have post-war effects, but there is limited knowledge of how such changes shape the lives of rural young people. The Acholi region of northern Uganda experienced two decades of armed conflict and forced displacement (1986-2006). This paper draws on qualitative field research to analyse the influence of family dynamics on the educational and li…
The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Hunger and Poverty in the Global South
Concerns about closing civic space have focused on human rights, and little to date has been known of the impacts on development. This article traces impacts of closing civic space on civil society and social movements addressing poverty and hunger in Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Countries that clamped down on civil society and social movements have not all fared badly in terms of poverty and hunger, as the ‘developmental states’ of C…
Commissions of inquiry and pathways to accountability in Plateau State, Nigeria
For decades, Plateau State in Nigeria's Middle Belt has witnessed repeated ethnoreligious violence. Over this period, both state and federal governments have established formal Commissions of Inquiry (COIs) in response to unrest, tasked with investigating violence, identifying perpetrators, and - ultimately - strengthening accountability. While commissions' mandates and specific outcomes varied, there is general consensus that inquiries have been…
Formal‐sector employment and Africa's youth employment crisis
Africa's "youth employment" crisis is actually a "missing jobs" crisis
Motivation The Sustainable Development Goals target decent work for all, including youth, by 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), however, a "youth employment crisis" is now central to public and policy discourse. Consequently, the idea of "investing in youth" grows in importance, leading to a proliferation of interventions targeted to and specific to youth. Purpose This article interrogates the framing of the problem as a "youth employment" crisis…
Youth and social navigation in Zimbabwe’s informal economy
This article draws on qualitative case study research in Murewa, a rural district town in Zimbabwe, to extend the use of the concept of ‘social navigation’ from conflict-affected settings to repressive regime contexts. Through the concept of ‘the everyday’, it analyses how youth experience political violence and repression, and the tactics they use to access paid work and secure self-employment. The findings show that youth accept existing forms …
Building Kachin
In 2011, Myanmar started its political transition after decades of military rule. In Kachin State this coincided with the breaking of a 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/A) and the state army, the Tatmadaw. For youth living in Kachin State, this meant that opportunities for civic and political participation opened up while at the same time their context remained volatile and uncertain. Using citizenship theo…
Introduction
This introductory article of the IDS Bulletin maps out the African youth employment challenge from a policy perspective. While policymakers have endorsed the role of the private sector as a job generator, it remains unclear whether, and under what conditions, the formal private sector generates enough and decent jobs. This IDS Bulletin begins to fill that gap. Contributors address questions including: to what extent do formal private enterprises …
Gendered (in)security in South Sudan
Despite the end of the civil war in 2005, many people in South Sudan continued to experience a deep sense of insecurity due to the many different types of violent conflict in the country. This sense of insecurity is exacerbated by the lack of protection from the state and the perceived injustice in how power is distributed at the national level. Based on a study carried out in 2013, prior to the country’s relapse into large-scale violence, this a…
Killing a mosquito with a hammer’
Networked, transnational forms of violence pose a significant threat to peace and security in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In recent years, Kenya has witnessed an expanding number of attacks involving Al-Shabaab – the Somali-based militant organisation. Kenya’s state responses to these attacks derive from a social construction of Somalis as a threatening presence, justifying a raft of hard security measures. However, this targeting …
Internal Displacement, the Camp and the Construction of Citizenship
This article contributes to emergent debates about how displacement into camps affects citizenship among internally displaced persons. It is based on a study of the Acholi people in northern Uganda, who were displaced into camps during the conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (1986–2006). The study shows that internal displacement into camps affects the sense and practice of citizenship, and the relationship be…
Introduction
Ten years on from the landmark 2006 issue of the IDS Bulletin that brought us the ‘power cube’ – a practical approach to power analysis that offers a way of confronting its complexity – we return to the question of how to analyse and act on power in development. We focus on the ways in which invisible power helps perpetuate injustice and widen inequalities. The contributions call for ways to denaturalise norms and structures of social, political …
The effects of protracted conflict and displacement on citizen engagement in Northern Uganda
The Acholi region of Uganda was deeply affected by the war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda from the late 1980s to 2006. This article presents qualitative case-study research of how citizen engagement evolved during the conflict and period of internal displacement, analysing the mechanisms through which violent conflict affected the sense and practice of citizenship. The findings show that the securitisation of loca…
Gender and fragile citizenship in Uganda
The present article discusses how perceptions and practices of citizenship are experienced in the post-conflict situation of the Acholi region in northern Uganda. Here, the population lived through protracted conflict and long-term displacement into camps, caused by the Lord's Resistance Army. The article elaborates the lived experiences of Acholi women during and after the conflict and how their experiences shape their understanding and practice…
Killing a mosquito with a hammer’
Networked, transnational forms of violence pose a significant threat to peace and security in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In recent years, Kenya has witnessed an expanding number of attacks involving Al-Shabaab – the Somali-based militant organisation. Kenya’s state responses to these attacks derive from a social construction of Somalis as a threatening presence, justifying a raft of hard security measures. However, this targeting …
Africa's "youth employment" crisis is actually a "missing jobs" crisis
Motivation The Sustainable Development Goals target decent work for all, including youth, by 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), however, a "youth employment crisis" is now central to public and policy discourse. Consequently, the idea of "investing in youth" grows in importance, leading to a proliferation of interventions targeted to and specific to youth. Purpose This article interrogates the framing of the problem as a "youth employment" crisis…
Building Kachin
In 2011, Myanmar started its political transition after decades of military rule. In Kachin State this coincided with the breaking of a 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/A) and the state army, the Tatmadaw. For youth living in Kachin State, this meant that opportunities for civic and political participation opened up while at the same time their context remained volatile and uncertain. Using citizenship theo…
Youth and social navigation in Zimbabwe’s informal economy
This article draws on qualitative case study research in Murewa, a rural district town in Zimbabwe, to extend the use of the concept of ‘social navigation’ from conflict-affected settings to repressive regime contexts. Through the concept of ‘the everyday’, it analyses how youth experience political violence and repression, and the tactics they use to access paid work and secure self-employment. The findings show that youth accept existing forms …
Ruling Party Patronage, Brokerage, and Contestations at Urban Markets in Harare
This study contributes to debates on varieties of clientelism through an analysis of brokerage and ruling party patronage at urban markets in Harare, Zimbabwe. Urban markets are sites of contestation between the opposition-dominated city council and actors aligned with the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union—Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Based on qualitative case study research at two designated markets, the article demonstrates how ru…
The effects of protracted conflict and displacement on citizen engagement in Northern Uganda
The Acholi region of Uganda was deeply affected by the war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda from the late 1980s to 2006. This article presents qualitative case-study research of how citizen engagement evolved during the conflict and period of internal displacement, analysing the mechanisms through which violent conflict affected the sense and practice of citizenship. The findings show that the securitisation of loca…
Gender and fragile citizenship in Uganda
The present article discusses how perceptions and practices of citizenship are experienced in the post-conflict situation of the Acholi region in northern Uganda. Here, the population lived through protracted conflict and long-term displacement into camps, caused by the Lord's Resistance Army. The article elaborates the lived experiences of Acholi women during and after the conflict and how their experiences shape their understanding and practice…
Gendered (in)security in South Sudan
Despite the end of the civil war in 2005, many people in South Sudan continued to experience a deep sense of insecurity due to the many different types of violent conflict in the country. This sense of insecurity is exacerbated by the lack of protection from the state and the perceived injustice in how power is distributed at the national level. Based on a study carried out in 2013, prior to the country’s relapse into large-scale violence, this a…
Young female traders’ quest for viability in Zimbabwe's politicised urban spaces
This article analyses the viability struggles of young female traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. It makes a conceptual contribution to debates about viability, which captures how young people connect and pursue aims across diverse life domains (referred to as 'thinking and acting across'), by addressing gender and generational power dynamics. The article demonstrates how young female traders in Harare are thinking and acting across the domains of work …
Family dynamics and implications for young people's 'struggles' in rural areas of post-conflict northern Uganda
A growing body of literature on wartime social change reveals how disruptions in social institutions can have post-war effects, but there is limited knowledge of how such changes shape the lives of rural young people. The Acholi region of northern Uganda experienced two decades of armed conflict and forced displacement (1986-2006). This paper draws on qualitative field research to analyse the influence of family dynamics on the educational and li…
Internal Displacement, the Camp and the Construction of Citizenship
This article contributes to emergent debates about how displacement into camps affects citizenship among internally displaced persons. It is based on a study of the Acholi people in northern Uganda, who were displaced into camps during the conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (1986–2006). The study shows that internal displacement into camps affects the sense and practice of citizenship, and the relationship be…
Shades of party activism
Commissions of inquiry and pathways to accountability in Plateau State, Nigeria
For decades, Plateau State in Nigeria's Middle Belt has witnessed repeated ethnoreligious violence. Over this period, both state and federal governments have established formal Commissions of Inquiry (COIs) in response to unrest, tasked with investigating violence, identifying perpetrators, and - ultimately - strengthening accountability. While commissions' mandates and specific outcomes varied, there is general consensus that inquiries have been…
Gender and fragile citizenship in Uganda
The present article discusses how perceptions and practices of citizenship are experienced in the post-conflict situation of the Acholi region in northern Uganda. Here, the population lived through protracted conflict and long-term displacement into camps, caused by the Lord's Resistance Army. The article elaborates the lived experiences of Acholi women during and after the conflict and how their experiences shape their understanding and practice…
Internal Displacement, the Camp and the Construction of Citizenship
This article contributes to emergent debates about how displacement into camps affects citizenship among internally displaced persons. It is based on a study of the Acholi people in northern Uganda, who were displaced into camps during the conflict between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (1986–2006). The study shows that internal displacement into camps affects the sense and practice of citizenship, and the relationship be…
Introduction
Ten years on from the landmark 2006 issue of the IDS Bulletin that brought us the ‘power cube’ – a practical approach to power analysis that offers a way of confronting its complexity – we return to the question of how to analyse and act on power in development. We focus on the ways in which invisible power helps perpetuate injustice and widen inequalities. The contributions call for ways to denaturalise norms and structures of social, political …
The effects of protracted conflict and displacement on citizen engagement in Northern Uganda
The Acholi region of Uganda was deeply affected by the war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda from the late 1980s to 2006. This article presents qualitative case-study research of how citizen engagement evolved during the conflict and period of internal displacement, analysing the mechanisms through which violent conflict affected the sense and practice of citizenship. The findings show that the securitisation of loca…
Gendered (in)security in South Sudan
Despite the end of the civil war in 2005, many people in South Sudan continued to experience a deep sense of insecurity due to the many different types of violent conflict in the country. This sense of insecurity is exacerbated by the lack of protection from the state and the perceived injustice in how power is distributed at the national level. Based on a study carried out in 2013, prior to the country’s relapse into large-scale violence, this a…
Killing a mosquito with a hammer’
Networked, transnational forms of violence pose a significant threat to peace and security in a number of sub-Saharan African countries. In recent years, Kenya has witnessed an expanding number of attacks involving Al-Shabaab – the Somali-based militant organisation. Kenya’s state responses to these attacks derive from a social construction of Somalis as a threatening presence, justifying a raft of hard security measures. However, this targeting …
Introduction
This introductory article of the IDS Bulletin maps out the African youth employment challenge from a policy perspective. While policymakers have endorsed the role of the private sector as a job generator, it remains unclear whether, and under what conditions, the formal private sector generates enough and decent jobs. This IDS Bulletin begins to fill that gap. Contributors address questions including: to what extent do formal private enterprises …
Youth and social navigation in Zimbabwe’s informal economy
This article draws on qualitative case study research in Murewa, a rural district town in Zimbabwe, to extend the use of the concept of ‘social navigation’ from conflict-affected settings to repressive regime contexts. Through the concept of ‘the everyday’, it analyses how youth experience political violence and repression, and the tactics they use to access paid work and secure self-employment. The findings show that youth accept existing forms …
Building Kachin
In 2011, Myanmar started its political transition after decades of military rule. In Kachin State this coincided with the breaking of a 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/A) and the state army, the Tatmadaw. For youth living in Kachin State, this meant that opportunities for civic and political participation opened up while at the same time their context remained volatile and uncertain. Using citizenship theo…
Formal‐sector employment and Africa's youth employment crisis
Africa's "youth employment" crisis is actually a "missing jobs" crisis
Motivation The Sustainable Development Goals target decent work for all, including youth, by 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), however, a "youth employment crisis" is now central to public and policy discourse. Consequently, the idea of "investing in youth" grows in importance, leading to a proliferation of interventions targeted to and specific to youth. Purpose This article interrogates the framing of the problem as a "youth employment" crisis…
The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Hunger and Poverty in the Global South
Concerns about closing civic space have focused on human rights, and little to date has been known of the impacts on development. This article traces impacts of closing civic space on civil society and social movements addressing poverty and hunger in Brazil, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Countries that clamped down on civil society and social movements have not all fared badly in terms of poverty and hunger, as the ‘developmental states’ of C…
Commissions of inquiry and pathways to accountability in Plateau State, Nigeria
For decades, Plateau State in Nigeria's Middle Belt has witnessed repeated ethnoreligious violence. Over this period, both state and federal governments have established formal Commissions of Inquiry (COIs) in response to unrest, tasked with investigating violence, identifying perpetrators, and - ultimately - strengthening accountability. While commissions' mandates and specific outcomes varied, there is general consensus that inquiries have been…
Ruling Party Patronage, Brokerage, and Contestations at Urban Markets in Harare
This study contributes to debates on varieties of clientelism through an analysis of brokerage and ruling party patronage at urban markets in Harare, Zimbabwe. Urban markets are sites of contestation between the opposition-dominated city council and actors aligned with the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union—Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Based on qualitative case study research at two designated markets, the article demonstrates how ru…
Family dynamics and implications for young people's 'struggles' in rural areas of post-conflict northern Uganda
A growing body of literature on wartime social change reveals how disruptions in social institutions can have post-war effects, but there is limited knowledge of how such changes shape the lives of rural young people. The Acholi region of northern Uganda experienced two decades of armed conflict and forced displacement (1986-2006). This paper draws on qualitative field research to analyse the influence of family dynamics on the educational and li…
Social and gender norms informing, voicing, and reporting against sexual harassment among domestic workers in Kampala's informal economy
Workplace sexual harassment as a feature of precarious work in Uganda's agro‐processing factories
Introduction to special section
Young female traders’ quest for viability in Zimbabwe's politicised urban spaces
This article analyses the viability struggles of young female traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. It makes a conceptual contribution to debates about viability, which captures how young people connect and pursue aims across diverse life domains (referred to as 'thinking and acting across'), by addressing gender and generational power dynamics. The article demonstrates how young female traders in Harare are thinking and acting across the domains of work …
Shades of party activism
Everyday authoritarianism in Zimbabwe
Political science (18 works) · Sociology (17 works) · Law (12 works) · Politics (12 works) · Political economy (9 works) · Economics (8 works) · Social science (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Economic growth (6 works)