Africa

Endowed Elberg Lecture Series: Howard French in Conversation With Adam Hochschild

February 17, 2026

March 16, 2026 | 1230 - 2 PM | Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall

(*NOTE: Stephens Hall is next door to the IIS office in Philosophy Hall)

IIS is delighted to welcome the renowned author, journalist and professor Howard French on March 16 in conversation with journalist and UC Berkeley lecturer Adam Hochschild.

Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books,...

IPRD participant reflection - Malin Petersson

The IRPD completely exceeded my expectations. Going in, I had no prior formal research experience, nor any knowledge of what was going on in Sudan. This program allowed me to conduct thorough desk research on Sudan and neighboring regions to understand the geopolitical climate. I learned how to craft a detailed literature review and how to conduct conflict monitoring.

I learned about the UN security council and the difficulties of humanitarian work. Hours spent researching how civilian lives were impacted made me frustrated at my inability to do anything about it...

IPRD participant reflection - Elliott Suarez

My name is Elliott Suarez, and I participated in the IIS International Policy Research Discovery (IPRD) program this summer as a research assistant working on PAEMA’s Democratic Republic of Congo News Monitor. The DRC news monitor tracks ongoing events surrounding the DRC’s ongoing conflicts with armed groups in its eastern provinces, as well as ongoing political developments in relation to the nation’s democratic institutions. The DRC currently stands in conflict with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a Rwandan-backed organization of militant groups...

IIS launches the International Policy Research Discovery (IPRD) program

July 8, 2026

IIS recently onboarded the inaugural cohort of the International Policy Research Discovery (IPRD) program. Ten Berkeley students are conducting summer resarch on the conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Democratic Republic of Congo for the human rights organization PAEMA (Preventing And Ending Mass Atrocities). Each student produces two research deliverables such as a literature review, policy brief, or conflict news monitor. These pieces will be used internally by PAEMA and shared with international policymakers working to protect civilians in...

The Struggle for Freedom & Democracy in Uganda

April 9, 2026

April 13, 2026 |4:00 PM |Chevron Auditorium, International House 2299 Piedmont Ave

An evening with Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi) President, National Unity Platform (NUP), and Barbara Kyagulanyi in conversation with Prof. Martha Wilfahrt (UC Berkeley) and Prof. Shingirai Taodzera (UC Davis).

Register for the Event

https://events.berkeley.edu/asc/event/319350-the-struggle-for-freedom-democracy-…

February 12: Book talk with Professor Chipo Dendere

January 9, 2026

February 12, 2026 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall

Join the UC Berkeley Institute of International Studies, Center for African Studies, and The Charles & Louise Travers Department of Political Science for a book talk with author Chipo Dendere, Associate Professor of Political Science, Africana Studies Department, Wellesley College.

Death, Diversion, and Departure: Voter Exit and the Persistence of...