The Fox International Fellowship at Yale University

09/10/2026

Congratulations to Jack McMahon, a 2025-26 Fox Fellow from The University of Melbourne, on the publication of his new article in the Journal of Human Rights: "Fear in exile: Transnational repression and its toll on social relations among Tibetans in exile."

The article is comprised of interview extracts and case study analysis which creates not only a profile of transnational repression for Tibetans in-exile, but also introduces "erosive repression" as a manner through which to understand how transnational repression serves to shape social behaviors and interactions amongst targeted populations.

The article concludes: "The very fact that the government of a nation of more than 1.4 billion people is so concerned with a scattered diaspora of around 130,000 reflects a great insecurity within the Chinese government as to the power the Tibetan exile population has in challenging their hold over Tibet." Denoting once more the inspiring resolve of the Tibetan diaspora encountered over the last 4 years of research.

We're proud to have supported this work.

doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2026.2715677

MacMillan Center

09/08/2026

Our outgoing Fox Fellow, Siwei Lu, spent several days in Lagos, Nigeria participating in the Southern Urbanism Co-Net Conference 2026, hosted by the University of Lagos. There, she engaged with scholars and practitioners from across and beyond Africa on challenges and opportunities of postcolonial urbanism in Southern cities, including legacies of spatial inequality, rapid rural–urban migration, environmental pressures and so on.

During the workshop, Siwei worked with young researchers and practitioners from Nigeria and Tanzania in a waterfront community that has experienced two rounds of forced demolition over the past five years. Working alongside community residents, the team mapped demolished areas, documented residents’ experiences, and developed temporary land-use proposals. The experience of the community highlighted many shared challenges across African cities, from land rights disputes and the relationship between traditional authorities and the state to contested settlement histories and the environmental realities of port cities.

At the conference, Siwei presented her research on the pilot phase of Senegal's social housing program in Dakar. The discussions with the audience revealed that similar housing initiatives are emerging across the continent, opening conversations about social consequences of welfare program return.

Now back in Accra, Siwei has resumed her Fox Fellowship in the University of Ghana, bringing these regional conversations into her current research.

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Joshua Amponsah, a 2025-2026 outgoing Fox Fellow at the University of Cape Town, who presented his research and screened a documentary at the Ghana Studies Association's 5th Triennial Conference!

Joshua explores conservation in Africa as a form of extraction that can appropriate land, labor, ecological services, Indigenous knowledge, and cultural heritage through conservation policies, environmental interventions, and emerging climate initiatives, reshaping relationships between people, nature, and place. The paper proposes poetry as a decolonial tool capable of opening new spaces for marginalized voices, alternative ontologies, and relational perspectives on justice.

Alongside his paper, Joshua screened a documentary featuring communities and landscapes in Ghana and Kenya, asking: How do we protect nature without marginalizing the people whose lives, histories, and identities are deeply connected to it?

"The thoughtful questions and conversations that followed gave me valuable insights into how I can further strengthen this work, particularly by bringing research, film, poetry, and storytelling together as tools for environmental justice and social change. I am grateful for the conversations, the questions, and the new connections, and excited about where this work goes next."

Learn more about Joshua's research on our website: https://lnkd.in/gyDeRta9.

Yale MacMillan Center

06/23/2026

We’re pleased to highlight a recent article by Emiliano Vitaliani, an outgoing Fox Fellow from the Yale MacMillan Center visiting the USP - Universidade de São Paulo, published on I•CONnect: “Is There Any Room for Politics in Judicial Impeachment? The Moliné O’Connor Case in the Inter-American System of Human Rights.”

In this piece, Emiliano explores the complex relationship between law and politics in judicial impeachment, using the Moliné O’Connor case as a lens to examine how the Inter-American System of Human Rights approaches questions of judicial independence and accountability.

Emiliano holds an LL.M. from the Yale Law School, and his research focuses on constitutional theory and judicial composition. His work contributes to broader debates on the role of courts, particularly where institutional design and political pressures intersect.

👏 Congratulations to Emiliano on this important contribution!

Read more: https://www.iconnectblog.com/is-there-any-room-for-politics-in-judicial-impeachment-the-moline-oconnor-case-in-the-inter-american-system-of-human-rights/

--Emiliano Vitaliani, Fox Fellow, University of São Paulo; LL.M., Yale Law School The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (ICtHR) is currently consid

06/08/2026

🌍 The Fox International Fellowship Impact Challenge — Spring 2026 Winners

During the spring semester, incoming and outgoing fellows were invited to share how their fellowship experience has shaped their research, perspectives, and community engagement through a photo and short reflection. Thank you to all who participated in the contest. The Impact Challenge highlighted powerful moments across borders and disciplines.

We are pleased to announce the winners:

⭐ Community Engagement & Cultural Connection ⭐

Basil Bastaki, 2025–26 outgoing fellow to Jawaharlal Nehru University: From archival searches in Assam to conversations at the Brahmaputra Literature Festival, and experiences spanning Delhi to Northeast India, Basil’s fellowship highlights the power of both community engagement and cross-cultural exchange. Through interactions with scholars, historians, and local communities, his journey reflects how intellectual collaboration and lived experience open unexpected doors, foster meaningful relationships, and deepen understanding of shared histories across borders.

⭐ Research Impact ⭐

Zeba Khan, 2025–26 outgoing fellow to the University of Cambridge: Presenting at Cambridge, Zeba’s research reimagines border cities as living archives. Drawing on fieldwork in eastern Turkey, her work challenges dominant narratives of borders by foregrounding coexistence, lived experience, and alternative histories through both academic and creative expression.

Changran Liu, 2025–26 outgoing fellow to the National University of Singapore: From paddy fields in Southeast China to global academic forums, Changran’s work traces the historical transformation of sugarcane agriculture through fieldwork across Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, and engagement with international scholarly communities. His experience reflects how local lifeworlds and global networks intersect to shape research and understanding.

Orly Shapira, 2025–26 incoming fellow from Tel Aviv University | אוניברסיטת תל-אביב to the Yale MacMillan Center: A pivotal moment at Yale University led Orly to new methodological ground in discourse analysis. Through mentorship, collaboration, and participation in the LANSI research group, she gained both practical tools and a vibrant intellectual community that transformed her confidence and research trajectory.

These submissions reflect the depth of inquiry, collaboration, and cross-cultural exchange at the heart of the Fox International Fellowship community.

✨ Scroll through the photo gallery to read each submission.

06/02/2026

📣 Last Call: Fox International Fellowship Alumni Conference – Call for Submissions

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2026

This is a final reminder for Fox International Fellowship alumni to submit your abstracts for the upcoming Fox International Fellowship Alumni Conference (Fall 2026) themed: 🌍 “Global Challenges: Interdisciplinary Voices Across the World."

We warmly invite you to contribute your research and join a global community of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in dialogue on today’s most pressing challenges.

Conference Details:
🗓 Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
📍 Venue: El Colegio de México, Mexico City
🎉 Occasion: 25th anniversary of the Fox Fellowship partnership between the Yale MacMillan Center and El Colegio de México - Colmex

📝 Submission Details
-Abstract: 300–500 words aligned with the conference theme
-Eligibility: Fox International Fellowship alumni only
-Deadline: Friday, June 5, 2026
-Submit via online form: https://lnkd.in/e7nAtVdm
-Notification of acceptance: July 1, 2026
-Support: Travel and lodging assistance available for selected presenters

We particularly welcome interdisciplinary work engaging with topics such as climate change, inequality, migration, global health, political transformation, security, technological ethics, human rights, and more.

This is a unique opportunity to reconnect with the Fox Fellowship community and contribute to meaningful global conversations.

🔗 https://macmillan.yale.edu/foxfellowship/alumni-conference-fall-2026

05/18/2026

On May 11, 2026, the Fox International Fellowship at Yale University hosted its Annual Dinner and Alumni Speaker Series at Kline 14, bringing together current and incoming Fox Fellows, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the Fox Family for an evening celebrating the Fellowship’s global community and its mission of international scholarly exchange.

A highlight of the evening, alongside a special appearance by Handsome Dan, was the Alumni Speaker Series keynote delivered by Yale alumnus, Dr. Mehran Gul. His lecture, “The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies,” drew from his recent book and offered a compelling exploration of how innovation is increasingly shaped by global competition, shifting power centers, and cross-border knowledge networks. The event reflected what the Fox International Fellowship at Yale University continues to represent: a space for rigorous dialogue, enduring intellectual exchange, and a deeply connected global network committed to understanding the world across disciplines and borders.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Mehran Gul is the author of The New Geography of Innovation (William Collins/Simon & Schuster), a Financial Times/McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize winner, and an FT Best Book of the Year. He has worked with the World Economic Forum and is a Yale alumnus, having studied as a Fulbright Scholar, Teaching Fellow, and as a 2009–10 outgoing Fox International Fellow from the Yale MacMillan Center to Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.

Grateful to all who joined and continue to support the Fox International Fellowship community and its mission.

📸 View highlights from the evening here: https://yalemacmillancenter.smugmug.com/Fox-Fellows-Annual-Dinner-May-11-2026.

Photos by Mara Lavitt. For personal use only. The 2026 Fox International Fellowship Annual Dinner, held at Kline 14, featured Yale alumnus Dr. Mehran Gul as the keynote speaker for the Alumni Speaker Series. His lecture, “The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technol...

05/12/2026

The Fox Fellowship Weekly Seminar Series provides incoming fellows from our partner institutions with a forum to present their research, receive feedback from their cohort, and engage in interdisciplinary dialogue. Seminars are facilitated by Academic Director Dr. Emily Erikson and Postdoctoral Associate Dr. Bastien Charaudeau Santomauro, a 2021-22 Fox Fellow alumnus from Sciences Po Paris.

During the Spring 2026 semester, nine Fox Fellows presented their research as part of the series at the Yale MacMillan Center. Each seminar is followed by a group lunch, giving fellows the opportunity to continue discussions, connect with one another, and engage with the Fox Fellowship team.

The Spring 2026 series featured nine insightful presentations, highlighting a wide range of interdisciplinary scholarship, including:

⭐ Bernardo Pacola (University of São Paulo), Legislative Constitutionalism in Systems with Strong Judicial Review

⭐ Eriko Kawajiri (University of Tokyo), Perceptions of Local Farmers and Communities on Nature Conservation

⭐ Cloé Artaut (Institut d’Études de Politiques de Paris), Search of Lost Time. National Identity and the Myth of the Third Republic in Contemporary France (1946–2024)

⭐ Diego Rivero (University of Cambridge), Populist Speech and Informal Constitutional Legal Change

⭐ Sylvia Hagan (University of Ghana), Perceived Climate Change, Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Work-Related Outcomes Among Outdoor Workers in Accra, Ghana

⭐ Berkay Mandiraci (Boğaziçi University), Middle Powers and Conflict Mediation

⭐ Andrea Sandbrink (Freie University of Berlin), Attribution of Climate Change Damages in Corporate Criminal Law

⭐ Prashant Rayaprolu (University of British Columbia), Constructing the Offshore Services Value Chain

⭐ Swadha Singh (Jawaharlal Nehru University), Equity in Climate Finance

05/05/2026

We are pleased to congratulate David Lozada, a 2023–2024 Fox Fellow from the University of Melbourne, on his recent publication, “Decolonising development practice from the classroom through engaged reflexivity,” in Development in Practice. The article offers a thoughtful and timely contribution, advancing critical perspectives on development through the lens of engaged reflexivity.

Read the publication here: https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2026.2656869.

04/29/2026

On Friday, April 24, we hosted a virtual seminar, “From Immigration to Climate Action: Global Challenges and Opportunities,” bringing together our 2025–2026 Fox Fellows, alumni, and the broader Yale University community.

The seminar featured presentations from outgoing Fox Fellows reflecting on urgent global challenges across migration, identity, conservation, and climate justice, offering comparative insights into how communities around the world are responding to complex, interconnected issues.

We were especially honored to witness Joshua Amponsah debut a moving original poem on belonging, community, and the meaning of “home” across oceans.

An environmental justice scholar, climate scientist, writer, and filmmaker, Joshua’s work—grounded in fieldwork across Ghana and Kenya—reflects a deep commitment to reconciling ecological sustainability with social justice. His words, echoing “an architecture of belonging” and “my compass, my home,” beautifully captured the spirit of the Fox International Fellowship and the Yale MacMillan Center as a space of global connection and exchange.

As part of our 2025–2026 outgoing cohort, Joshua is currently at the University of Cape Town advancing research on sustainability and justice in Southern Africa.

Learn more about Joshua and his research on our website: https://lnkd.in/evWFEu6N.