Kristen A. Harkness

Kristen A. Harkness is a Professor at the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, specializing in ethnic politics and conflict studies focused on Africa. Her research combines political instability, military sociology, and democratization challenges.

Research Areas: Ethnic conflict dynamics, military loyalty patterns, African political systems, and democratization failures. Methodologically focused on dataset creation through archival research.

Selected Publications:

• When Soldiers Rebel: Ethnic Armies and Political Instability in Africa (2018)
• Ethnic Stacking Dataset (Conflict Management and Peace Science, 2022)

Awards: Multiple teaching recognitions from University of St Andrews and African Politics Conference Group.

Projects: Ongoing research on ethnic politics in dictatorships and military democratization challenges funded by ESRC and British Academy.