she/her
Focus Areas:
Country of Origin: Cameroon
Degree Program: PhD
Entered Program: Fall 2021
Expected Graduation: Spring 2025
Dissertation Topic: Using Digital and Rights-based Approaches to Understand Institutional Linkages between Social Media, Wildlife Activism & the New Conservation Movement in Southern Africa: Views from Non-State Rural Actors.
Research Statement:
My PhD research examines the nexus between natural resource management, extractive institutions, social media and Indigenous resistance, exploring how culture shapes the institutions that shape conservation. I argue that conservation is not just economics but also culture, which, under the UN UDHR, makes conservation a human right.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), often presumed tech-illiterate, use digital tools to advocate for equitable conservation, despite platform constraints, cultural insensitivity, superficial engagement metrics, and breaches of consent. There’s a difference between being tech-savvy and being tech-disadvantaged. The perceived lack of tech skills of IPLCs often results from a lack of exposure and unequal access to training and resources, rather than a deficiency in inherent abilities. This distinction is important when discussing groups that face systemic barriers, recontextualizing the perspective to focus on the external barriers that prevent access and proficiency.
Ultimately, providing tailored digital literacy tools is key to addressing this digital divide. Understanding the linkages between digital activism and local conservation efforts can help proactively translate online momenta into effective, real-world outcomes, ensuring that digital campaigns lead to tangible changes in global environmental governance in general and in conservation practices and policy frameworks in particular.
Adviser: Dr. Brian Child
Educational Background
- M.A. in Conflict, Peace and Security, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, 2019
- Certificate of Competence in Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa, University of the Western Cape, 2019
- B.A. in Politics and International Relations, Lancaster University, 2017
Publications
Foyet, M., & Child, B. (2024). COVID-19, social media, algorithms and the rise of indigenous movements in Southern Africa: perspectives from activists, audiences and policymakers. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, 1433998.
Foyet, M. (2021) The UN and Natural Resources in Liberia: Exploring the Nexus between Natural Resources, Conflict, the Environment and Peace Support Operations (PSOs) Lambert Academic Publishing.