FASS News
Welcome new Simons Foundation Canada Postdoctoral Fellow Jemima Ackah-Arthur
We are pleased to introduce Jemima Ackah-Arthur as the Simons Foundation Canada Postdoctoral Fellow for 2025. As a researcher in the field of global conflict and security, Ackah-Arthur brings expertise in understanding how state actors give protection and security to people in developing countries during periods of violence. Her arrival marks an exciting addition to the roster of Sub-Saharan Africa region experts at the School for International Studies.
Ackah-Arthur has cultivated her reputation as both a dedicated educator and an insightful researcher, teaching at several institutions including Corpus Christi College, Columbia College, SFU, and Alexander College. She has a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and an MA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Her fascination with state-society relations began during her undergraduate study at the University of Ghana, where she explored the dynamics of civil wars in Africa and the Middle East. Reflecting on that time, Ackah-Arthur shares, “I learned about past wars in African countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. I was curious about why the wars had ended in the African countries, but the latter had no solution.” This curiosity gave her a deeper understanding of how global conflict impacted the world around her. Living in Ghana, she encountered Liberian refugees in Tema who braided hair to support themselves after being displaced by war.
“I recognized that the violence in their country had caused them to move to Ghana, and it was their new home,” she recalls. Her relatively peaceful life in Ghana provided a stark contrast to their reality, sparking her interest in how people rebuild their lives after emergent violence and conflict. “Those questions have since formed the basis for my work choices, academic and research interests in conflict, security and peacebuilding,” she explains.
When Ackah-Arthur discovered the interdisciplinary work done within the School for International Studies, she knew it was a perfect match for her academic focus. Teaching at SFU allowed her to connect with expert faculty members involved in projects on security and armed violence in Africa. In taking up the postdoctoral fellowship, she is excited to receive guidance on her research and obtain academic support from knowledgeable faculty and other resources across SFU. She humorously adds, “I also live close by the Vancouver campus, so the easier commute is a huge bonus.”
In Spring 2025, Ackah-Arthur will be teaching IS 306/806 State Failure and Reconstruction. She is currently working on two articles focused on counterinsurgency in Sub-Saharan African countries, with a particular focus on the Boko Haram armed violence in Nigeria. Her work delves into the social impact of armed violence on communities, local non-state security groups, and sub-national leaders. She aims to highlight the importance of social relationships for counterinsurgency operations, particularly in states that have seemingly limited capacity to address violence. We look forward to Ackah-Arthur's contributions, which promise to enrich the School with a unique and fresh perspective.