Dr Braun is a Research Associate in the Department of War Studies, working on the research project, Mapping Injury, led by Professor Vivienne Jabri, selected by the ERC Advanced, and funded by the UKRI Frontier Research Grant. The project investigates ‘injury’ in its multiple sites and manifestations in the Global South, and its impact on political agency and global mechanisms of response. Michael’s research on the project focuses on South Africa.

Michael has a PhD in Political Science, with a focus on South African politics and development studies, from the University of Toronto. Before coming to King’s, Michael was a researcher and postgraduate supervisor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

His current work for Mapping Injury examines socio-economic rights in post-apartheid South Africa, focusing on how legal, political, and community-based actors articulate grievances over inadequate housing and work to remedy historical injustices stemming from persistent spatial and racial inequality.

Research Interests:

• Inequality and political behaviour
• Contentious politics and mobilization
• Populism in African politics

Selected Publications:

• “Thin Loyalty and Declining Attachment to the African National Congress”. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, no. 62:1, 2024, pp. 25-44.
• “Populist Mobilization at the Local Level: Evidence from the South African Economic Freedom Fighters.” Journal of African Elections, no. 23:1, 2024, pp.49-73.