Esau Williams is a researcher on the theory and ontology of the African state and examines how these shape patterns of conflict, instability, and underdevelopment.

He was awarded an MA in International Political Economy by King’s College London. His dissertation, 'A Realist Inquiry into Governance: Decision-Making in the European Union', draws on realist theories in International Relations to explain how the EU’s cooperative framework generates tensions in political and economic decisions and policies.

Williams took a BA (Hons) in Politics with Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London, and holds a BA in Philosophy from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas.

Research

Thesis title: 'A Philosophical Inquiry into the Theory and Ontology of the African State as the Source and Driver of Conflict, Insecurity, and Underdevelopment'.

This research argues that conflict, instability and underdevelopment in Africa arise not merely from weak governance, corruption or ethnic fragmentation, but from the historically constituted ontology of the postcolonial state.

Colonial borders, extractive institutions and imported Westphalian structures created enduring tensions between state authority and locally grounded political and social orders.

Drawing on political theory, postcolonial scholarship and African political economy, and using The Gambia as a qualitative case study, the research examines how institutions and leadership reproduce or intensify these tensions. It rejects simplistic classifications of African states as "weak” or “failed” and contends that meaningful transformation requires a fundamental rethinking of the state’s purpose, legitimacy and relationship with society.

PhD supervision

• Principal supervisor: Professor Abiodun Alao
• Secondary supervisor: Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko

Further details

See Esau's research profile