APPLETON, WIS. — British historian and political scientist Michael Fosdal examines the politics behind Britain’s foreign aid — how it is allocated, how it is debated and how it could be improved — in the third installment of Lawrence University’s Povolny International Studies Lecture Series “Africa Today: Problems and Solutions.”
Fosdal will deliver the address “Britain’s Role in Aid and Development” on Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. in Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Providing both a British and European context while focusing on the Darfur region of Sudan, Palestine and southern Africa, Fosdal will examine the geographical and historical imperatives of British foreign aid practices, discuss how Britain’s imperial past has influenced its present policies and try to assess the direction national debates on the subject may go in the future.
A graduate of the University of London, Fosdal has taught politics and history for 20 years. For the last 10 years, his teaching duties have centered on teaching many American study abroad courses in London and Oxford, including courses in government and British culture at Lawrence’s own London Centre. He also has been a guest lecturer at universities in the United States and Czech Republic.
Prior to his teaching career, Fosdal worked as a parliamentary advisor for a major professional organization in the United Kingdom. He is a member of the Royal United Services Institute and of the Royal Irish Society of Antiquaries.
Remaining speakers in the series include:
- April 10, Jacqueline Klopp, assistant professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, “Violence, Land and Dispossession: The Problems of Internal Displacement in Africa.”
- May 14, John Roome, operations director with the World Bank, “The World Bank’s Role in Development.”
The “Africa Today: Problems and Solutions” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.
