MAKINO Kumiko

MAKINO Kumiko

MAKINO Kumiko
[Belonging・Position] African Studies Group, Area Studies Center ・Director
[Research Field] Contemporary politics of South Africa, African studies, international relations, comparative politics
[email] Kumiko_Makino E-mail
Profile Information (Research history, education, papers & publications)

Previous research

My main research interest is contemporary South African politics. In particular, I am interested in the role of civil society organizations and social movements in shaping public policies related to the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the post-apartheid constitution. In the policy fields of social security, labor, health, disability, and immigration, I have been focusing on how non-governmental organizations and other concerned groups have interacted with governments, political parties, experts, local residents, and the international community, as well as what kinds of advocacy activities they have undertaken. I have also studied the anti-apartheid movement in Japan, which was part of the anti-apartheid international solidarity movement that pushed for democratization in South Africa.

Current research projects

At present, my work involves three main themes.

First, as an extension of my research on the anti-apartheid international solidarity movement, I am attempting to reconstruct the process of transforming South Africa–Japan relations from the late 1980s to the early 1990s by focusing on the interactions between the state and various non-state actors.

Second, I am tracing the challenges and reforms that have been pursued in South Africa’s social security program in terms of coverage for immigrants and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Third, I am analyzing electoral reform in South Africa since democratization, from the perspective of the relationship between the constitution and politics.