Area of research: Anthropology, Gender, Politics, Economics, Sustainable development

These schemes are justified in terms of economic development and modernity. However, little is known about the impacts of these new road projects especially for the people who live alongside them. More research is needed to understand ways in which roads may disrupt livelihoods in both positive and negative ways and for different demographics including women, youth, the elderly, and children. Ethnographic research is needed to understand the gendered socio-economic, cultural, and health implications.   

Roads to the Future is Australia’s first major Australia Research Council-funded research on political, economic, and cultural effects of infrastructure in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The programme of research is comparing road-building projects to understand how they contribute to sustainable and just development. Case studies are proposed across eight countries: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Madagascar, Seychelles, and Mauritius. 

A funded-PhD project will be part of the Roads to Future programme based at the IPRC at Murdoch University. 

This project is a collaboration between five Western Australian universities: University of Western Australia (lead organisation), Murdoch University, Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. 

Australia Research Council Discovery Project 230100568

IPRC academics: