Maxine Rubin

Dr. Maxine Rubin is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute of African Affairs, part of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, Germany. She is also a Research Associate at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Africa Spectrum. Her research focuses on Africa's international relations, agency within global governance, transitional and transformative justice, and South African politics.

Education:

• PhD in Political Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa (funded by Ernst Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Merit Scholarship and Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarship)
• Master of Arts in Post-War Recovery Studies, University of York, United Kingdom (funded by Commonwealth Scholarship)
• Bachelor of Social Science Honors in Justice and Transformation, University of Cape Town
• Bachelor of Social Science in Political Studies and History, University of Cape Town

Her research interests include the International Criminal Court’s interactions with African states, reparations, and transformative justice in post-conflict societies. She employs theoretical frameworks such as Hirschman’s Exit, Voice, and Loyalty model to analyze African agency in international relations. Her recent publications examine South Africa’s political transformation, coalition dynamics, and Germany’s foreign policy dilemmas regarding international justice.

Her recent scholarly output reflects a strong focus on African agency within global legal institutions, South Africa’s evolving political landscape, and mechanisms of transitional justice. Themes across her work include global norms, accountability, and the interplay between domestic politics and international law.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Ernst Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Merit Scholarship
• Commonwealth Scholarship
• AW Mellon Foundation Honors Scholarship
• Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarship

Maxine Rubin has advised on policy projects with organizations such as International IDEA and the African Union’s African Peer Review Mechanism. She has served as a peer reviewer for journals including the International Journal of Transitional Justice and Review of International Studies. She has received research grants supporting her doctoral and postdoctoral work. She has taught undergraduate courses in politics at the University of Cape Town and designed curricula for international exchange programs.

She is actively involved in academic and policy discourse through lectures, media contributions (e.g., Al Jazeera), and public events such as those hosted by the South African Embassy in Germany and the GIGA Berlin Office. She participates in international conferences, including the EISA Pan-European Conference on International Relations, where she contributes to discussions on Global IR.