Dr Euan Raffle awarded ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

We’re pleased to share that Dr Euan Raffle has been awarded an ESRC WRDTP Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Leeds, which will begin in October.

The ESRC WRDTP Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme allows researchers in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their career to consolidate their PhD by developing publications, networks, research and professional skills. The scheme welcomes proposals from a range of disciplines and can include single disciplines or multiple disciplines, providing at least 50% is within the social sciences.

Dr Euan Raffle, who will be based in the School of Politics and International Studies, will draw upon their PhD research exploring state vigilantism and international responsibility in the context of Southeast Asia’s war on drugs.

Dr Euan Raffle commented:

The fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to pursue some of the avenues of research that owing to time constraints I wasn’t able to during my PhD. At present, the plan is to publish two journal articles based on ideas from my thesis, then write a further paper with my mentor, Dr Adrian Gallagher on the role of civil society groups in bringing the case of the Philippines’ war on drugs to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The fellowship is especially well timed following the announcement by the ICC in September of a full investigation into as many as 30,000 killings that took place during the drug war. Like many, I was drawn to the study of the politics of Southeast Asia through a period of living and working the region. My PhD research came out of an interest in how president Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines had many comparable features with a similar campaign undertaken in Thailand in 2003 by then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. This then led onto thinking more broadly about state orchestrated extra-judicial killings within the Southeast Asian context and how they are justified by politicians. Consequently, this project will also think about the role the international community can play in challenging such human rights violations.

Dr Raffle's research will be supervised by Dr Adrian Gallagher, Associate Professor in International Relations. Dr Gallagher commented:

It is wonderful to see the White Rose investing in such an important research agenda. I am delighted to mentor Dr Raffle, he is an intelligent, kind, and committed individual who will act as a great ambassador for the School of Politics and International Studies.