Dr. Julie Soleil Archambault

I joined the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies in 2011 and have a joint appointment in African Studies and Anthropology. I completed my PhD in Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2010 and have since held teaching positions at the LSE and at the Centre of West African Studies, U of Birmingham.

I specialise in African anthropology with a particular interest in the recent uptake of information and communication technologies. Based on an ethnography of mobile phone use in the city of Inhambane, Southern Mozambique, my doctoral research examined everyday secrecy practices in relation to the redefinition of gender and intergenerational relations underway in the post-socialist postwar economy. I have also conducted research on alcohol consumption and the expansion of religious movements in southern Africa. This reflects my broader interest in lifestyle aspirations and everyday experiences of young people living in contexts of uncertainty. My current research focuses on the workings of the petty crime economy in Southern Mozambique.