Biography
Esau Williams is a Postgraduate research student in the African Leadership Centre at King's. He researches the nature of the state in Africa and its linkages to conflict, instability, poor governance, and underdevelopment.
Esau holds an MA in International Political Economy from King's College London. His dissertation was entitled 'A Realist Inquiry into Governance: Decision-making in the European Union', drawing on realist theories in the field of International Relations to explain existing tensions in the EU's cooperative framework, that ultimately lead to conflict in political and economic policies.
Williams graduated with a BA (Hons) in Politics with Philosophy from Royal Holloway, University of London; and has a BA in Philosophy from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Research
Thesis title: 'The Theory and Ontology of the State as Source and Driver of Conflict, Corruption, and Underdevelopment in Africa: Reimagining Leadership, Security, and Development'
This work attempts to address the research gap by focusing on the nature and theory of the state as an alien concept to Africa, whose consequence is the direct cause of instability and conflict; corruption and underdevelopment, that plague an entire continent and its people. The result is, despite its vast wealth in natural and mineral resources, Africa is synonymous with poverty, robbed of its agency and ability to bend the world to its will and shape the outcome of events.
PhD supervision
- Principal supervisor: Professor Abiodun Alao
- Secondary supervisor: Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko