Lyn Johnstone

Lyn Johnstone is a full-time Lecturer in Comparative Politics & International Relations at the Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London, a position she assumed in 2024 after serving as a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the same institution. Her professional background includes eight years in Japanese further education (Kyoto/Tokyo) and NGO work in the UK addressing child poverty, homelessness, and gender in development.

Her academic credentials feature:

• PhD in Politics from Royal Holloway, University of London (2016)
• MA in Human Rights (Distinction) from Kingston University
• BA (Hons) from Aberystwyth University

Johnstone's research pioneers two interconnected domains: post-colonial Britain-Africa relations (focusing on Commonwealth membership dynamics and Zimbabwe's potential re-admission) and African sexualities (examining state/non-state regulation of queer identities through decolonial frameworks). Her work intentionally centers African lived experiences to subvert Western queer theory, exemplified by analyses of banned Kenyan film Rafiki and everyday realities of queer citizens in decriminalized Southern African states.

Analysis of her 2017-2020 publications reveals consistent thematic trajectories across Commonwealth studies, African queer theory, and decolonial methodology. Her scholarship interrogates institutional legacies through African perspectives while innovating in sexuality research by prioritizing grassroots worldmaking over theoretical imports, creating significant interdisciplinary bridges between political science, film studies, and gender theory.

Her principal recognition includes:

• Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship

While her NGO and Japanese educational work demonstrates applied policy engagement, current grant activities beyond the Leverhulme fellowship remain unspecified in available materials. Her research methodology emphasizes emotionally responsive fieldwork practices developed through extensive African engagement.