Call for Application: Rethinking Ethiopia, Shaping Futures — On Nationalism _@Rift Valley Institute (RVI)
Location: Ethiopia.
Organization: Rift Valley Institute (RVI)
Closing Date: 23 September 2026
Job Description
Nationalism, Belonging, and the Making of Political Community in Ethiopia
About the Programme
The Rift Valley Institute’s Peace Research Facility invites applications from graduate students, early-career researchers, and policy practitioners for the next cycle of Rethinking Ethiopia, Shaping Futures, a competitively selected seminar and publication programme examining nationalism, belonging, and political community in Ethiopia. Nationalism is one of the most powerful and contested forces shaping Ethiopian politics today, yet it is rarely engaged as a subject of sustained scholarly inquiry rather than immediate controversy. Through a series of biweekly seminars led and delivered by leading scholars, followed by a competitive publication opportunity, the programme will build a cohort of researchers equipped to engage nationalism through rigorous, comparative, and historically grounded scholarship —contributing to more nuanced, evidence-based public debate at a moment when Ethiopia’s ongoing National Dialogue is itself shaped by contested questions of federalism, self-determination, and national belonging.
Programme Objectives
- Build a strong conceptual understanding of nationalism and its relationship with state formation, citizenship, identity, and political authority.
- Critically examine Ethiopia’s competing nationalist projects within their historical, African, and global contexts.
- Contribute to public debate on issues of nationalism and belonging, and the search for alternative policy options to help Ethiopia emerge from the current crisis.
Programme Structure
Phase I: Biweekly Seminars: 8–10 virtual seminars delivered over four months by internationally reputed scholars working on nationalism, state formation, citizenship, identity politics, and African political thought, drawing on a curated reading portfolio spanning colonial cartography, liberation and decolonization, ethnicity and political economy, gender and citizenship, migration and diaspora, developmental states, Ethiopia’s competing national projects, and Pan-Africanism.
Phase II: Competitive Publication Opportunity: Shortlisted participants will be supported to develop original, reflective works, demonstrating a critical engagement with the seminar literature and promising to provide fresh perspectives and policy options. Selected papers will be developed towards publication in an edited volume.
The publication component will place particular emphasis on producing analytically rigorous and policy-relevant work capable of contributing to conflict resolution, inclusive peacebuilding, democratic governance, and social cohesion in Ethiopia. The outputs will also seek to generate evidence and perspectives that can inform the design and implementation of policies and programmes and support more context-sensitive engagement by international development, diplomatic, and peacebuilding partners working in Ethiopia.
Who Should Apply
The program is open to early career researchers, graduate students who completed their course work, and policy practitioners, under the age of 35, with a demonstrated interest in Ethiopian or Horn of Africa political dynamics.
Selection Criteria
- Academic or professional background relevant to the programme’s themes. Applicants should have completed their course work at the time of application or should have completed their graduate study (MA/PhD) on/after 2021, in relevant social sciences, law, and humanities. Applicants with other degree background but practical experience in this area or demonstrated interest are also welcome to apply.
- A concise 500 – 700-word statement of interest that demonstrates the motivation of the candidate and previous academic and professional background connected to nationalism and political community in Ethiopia.
- Demonstrated writing ability and capacity to complete an original research paper.
- Commitment to read all assigned readings and critically engage during the seminar series.
The selection committee will give due attention to regional, institutional, ethnic, and gender balance within the cohort.
What the Programme Offers
- Access to a series of online lectures on nationalism and political community, led by leading scholars.
- A curated reading portfolio on nationalism and Ethiopia.
- Mentorship and structured support towards publishing a policy relevant paper.
- Inclusion in a collective volume of participant papers and a summary report of programme discussions.
- Membership in a growing network of emerging scholars, researchers, and practitioners working on nationalism, identity, and political community in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa.
- A certificate of completion for participants attending at least 80% of seminar sessions.
Indicative Timeline
| Phase | Indicative Timing | Activities |
| Phase I – Seminars | October 2026 –January 2027 | 8–10 virtual biweekly seminars |
| Phase II – Publication | 8 January – 18 February 2027 | Selection and publication support for participants’ draft papers |
| Finalization | 19 – 25 February 2027 | Summary report and capstone event |
Exact dates, venue, and format (in-person, hybrid, or virtual) to be confirmed.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a short statement of interest connected to nationalism, belonging, or political community in Ethiopia, together with evidence of relevant academic or professional background reflected in CV via: peaceresearchfacility@riftvalley.net
Applications close: 23 September 2026
