ESRC White Rose DTP Collaborative Studentship – ‘Civil Resistance and the Onset of Peace Processes’

Session 2026/27 – Closing Date 17:00 (UK time) 11^th March 2026

The online application form can be found at: ESRC White Rose DTP Collaborative Studentships 2026

Awards provide fees and maintenance at standard UKRI Rates (£20,780 in Session 2025/26)

This fully funded project is a collaboration between the University of Leeds (Dr. Margherita Belgioioso) and Berghof Foundation Operations GmbH.

Countries emerging from civil war face major challenges in building lasting peace, as unresolved root causes of war often reignite violence. While research has largely focused on the role of armed actors such as rebel groups, states, and international interventions in advancing sustainable peace, practitioners from local and international NGOs highlight the importance of unarmed, organised actors such as civil resistance movements.

Evidence on the effectiveness of these movements in advancing peace in civil war-torn countries remains mixed. In Nepal and Colombia, civil resistance movements enabled communities to shape peace agendas, whereas in Yemen and Mali they had little impact or even undermined peace efforts. Why some movements advance peace while others falter remains unclear. This raises a central question:

How do civil resistance movements influence the onset of peace processes in civil wars?

This project is developed with the Berghof Foundation and aims at addressing this gap by systematically examining and abductively theorizing the role of civil resistance movements in initiating Colombian and Sudanese peace processes. Berghof Foundation is a major NGO with thematic and regional programs on peace support and conflict transformation in conflict-affected countries, including by working with civil society and social movements in Colombia and Sudan.

This project investigates how civil resistance movements shape the onset of peace negotiations. It employs a comparative qualitative design, drawing on interviews with activists and negotiators involved in the Colombian Havana Peace Process and the Sudanese Juba Peace Process, integrating semi-structured interviews with process tracing and abductive theory-building.

A 3-month Research in Practice placement will be provided by the Berghof Foundation.

For further information about the application process, please contact the Admissions Team

For further information about the project, please contact Margherita Belgioioso

Advert information