Flora McCrone is a political anthropologist and conflict specialist focusing on the Horn of Africa. She is a Visiting Fellow at the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and is currently undertaking a PhD in Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Flora’s PhD research explores moments of political transition and violence – primarily associated with decentralisation processes and elections – in the Horn of Africa’s arid, fragile and nomadic pastoralist zones. Her PhD research is inter-disciplinary and uses the lenses of public authority, the political marketplace and political ecology. She is applying a comparative ethnographic approach to different settings in the Horn region to investigate these emerging dynamics and develop policy-relevant analysis. Linked to her PhD research, Flora has also recently completed research for the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳’s Centre for Public Authority in Development.
In addition, Flora’s ongoing research interests focus on evolving Horn of Africa and Red Sea (inter-)regional political relations and interests, especially as they relate to Somalia and other conflict-affected countries in Africa.
Flora has worked as a researcher and independent consultant in the region for a decade, with substantial field experience in South Sudan, northern Kenya and Somalia. Her previous projects have included working with the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳’s and Justice and Security Research Programme. Flora has also led consultancy projects for and several major UK, US and multilateral-funded programmes, with a focus on , armed groups and extremism, and transitional justice.