Biography

After completing a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) from RMIT University in 2011, Kuol immediately found a job in the homelessness sector in Melbourne as an Engagement Officer.

While working, he started a Master of Social Science (Environment and Planning). He completed this master’s degree with a minor thesis on How Rural Development Can Mitigate Ethnic Conflict in South Sudan.

In 2018, Kuol started a Master of Art (Majoring In Politics) from La Trobe University and graduated in 2020. This was a 40,000-word research thesis marked by external examiners. The thesis was on The Legacy of Civil War in South Sudan: Elite Ethno-Politics and Failed Peace Agreements.

Kuol has more than ten years’ experience working in the homelessness sector, ranging from Engagement Officer to a Senior Case Worker.

Kuol started his PhD at The Cairns Institute, James Cook University in 2023. His thesis seeks to identify potential pathways for long-term, sustainable, peacebuilding in South Sudan.

Research topic

Building Peace in South Sudan: Constraints and Opportunities

Research outline

Existing peacebuilding literature has narrowly focused on the debate between liberal peacebuilding (top-down) verses local peacebuilding (bottom-up), excluding the effectiveness and challenges of traditional conflict resolution in South Sudan. Even though the peacebuilding analysis briefly mentions the success of chiefs' courts and peace conference and their role in peacebuilding, the literature does not delve deeply into the complexities and specific dynamics of these local mechanisms.  There is a need for a more nuanced exploration of the effectiveness and challenges of traditional conflict resolution mechanisms in South Sudan to help in proposing a fresh conflict prevention and management pathways that hold the potential to create positive impacts not just for South Sudan but also for other conflict-affected areas worldwide. By shedding light on these critical aspects, my research aims to pave the way for more effective and far-reaching peacebuilding strategies that bring together diverse stakeholders.

There is another gap relating to the disparity between theory and practice in post-conflict societies. The peacebuilding literature indicates that theory does not always match the practice in post conflict locale. Analysing how theory is being translated into practice, and its limitations, would help improve the effectiveness of peacebuilding operations in South Sudan. My research will propose a potential theoretical framework, envisioned to facilitate the practical application of theoretical insights in South Sudan and other comparable post-conflict regions.

Supervisory Team

• Dr Kearrin Sims
• Dr Judith Rafferty

Peer reviewed Journal Article

Garang, K 2020, ‘The ethnic roots of south Sudan’s conflict’, The Australasian Review of African Studies. 41(2), pp. 87–104. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.938039690212353.

Previous Major Thesis

Garang, K 2020, ‘The Legacy of Civil War in South Sudan: Elite Ethno-Politics and Failed Peace Agreements’, La Trobe University, https://doi.org/10.26181/5f9a147520b44.