Dr. Williams holds a PhD in International Relations and is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria and the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA), where she serves as Research Lab Coordinator, facilitating training and research development and publication. Through her work at the CMA, she has a background in conflict mediation and contributes to research on women in mediation.
Her research explores local conceptions of agency and resilience in post-conflict reintegration, capturing everyday realities and participatory avenues of returnees beyond wartime narratives, while critically engaging evolving conceptualisations of the ‘child’ and childhood following decades of conflict. Conducting fieldwork in Gulu, northern Uganda, she engaged over 150 individuals, including former child soldiers, communities, child mothers, children born in captivity, and local organisations, with whom she aims to cultivate collaborative networks and pathways to ensure programmes address post-conflict challenges identified by returnees and communities.
Research Profile
Publications
Published Works (Dissertations, Theses & Articles):
1. Williams, T. A. 2020. Children as Neglected Agents in Theory and Post-Conflict Reintegration. MSS Mini-Dissertation. Pretoria, University of Pretoria. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78144
2. Williams, T. A. 2024. Local Conceptions of Child Agency in Post-Conflict Reintegration. PhD International Relations Thesis. Pretoria, University of Pretoria. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/100440
3. Parry, B.R., Komane, K. & Williams, T.A. (2026). Negotiating Gender Role Expectations: Understanding the Gendered Experiences of Women Mediators in Africa. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 28(1), 144-164. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2025.2604687
Forthcoming Publications (Articles & Book Chapters):
1. Wielenga, C., Williams, T. A., Matshaka, C., Parry, B., Vermeulen, G., Theron, S., Matlala, T., Komane, K. & Deetlefs, S. 2024 (tbc). Where are the Women in Mediation in Africa? A State-of-the-Art Review. Initially submitted to African Affairs but later resubmitted to African Studies Review in November 2024. (Co-authored)
2. Williams, T. A. 2025. The (Re)Integration of Children Born in the Bush – Narratives of Resilience and Agency from a Generation Navigating Conflict at ‘Home’. Under review with journal Childhood (Single-authored)
3. Isike, C. & Williams, T.A. 2021 (tbc). Towards a Theoretical Understanding of Security and Insecurity in Africa. In Introducing International Relations: A View from Africa. Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) (forthcoming). Currently in the editing process. (Co-authored)
4. Williams, T. A. 2024 (tbc). The Challenges of Children and Armed Conflict in Africa. In Adebajo (ed) Security in Contemporary Africa: Towards a New Pax Africana. This edited volume is part of a three-year project (2023–2025) by the University of Pretoria (UP) Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (CAS) and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI). Final editing is underway, and the volume is expected to be submitted finalised publishing in 2026. (Single-authored chapter)
ORCID ID:
0000-0002-3765-9437