Nicole Hirt

Dr. Nicole Hirt is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs, part of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. Her work focuses on authoritarian regimes, diaspora dynamics, migration policies, and peace studies with a regional specialization in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. She holds a PhD from the University of Hamburg and has conducted extensive research on Eritrean militarization, diaspora governance, and transnational repression mechanisms. Her research has been supported by grants including the Swedish Research Council and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, University of Hamburg (2000)
• Masters in Political Science & Sociology, University of Tübingen
• Bachelor in Social Work, Berufsakademie Heidenheim

Her current research explores the role of second-generation diasporas in global democracy struggles and the EU’s flawed migration policies. She has led projects like the comparative study of diaspora responses in authoritarian regimes (2018–2021) and the transnational lives of repressed diasporas (2020–2023). Her work frequently examines how authoritarian regimes exploit diaspora communities to maintain power.

Key Themes in Publications:

• Transgenerational trauma and political identity formation among Eritrean diaspora youth
• Remittance dependencies and authoritarian stabilization
• EU’s migration governance failures and humanitarian consequences

Grants & Projects:

• Swedish Research Council (2020–2023): Transnational Lives in the Shadow of Repression
• DFG (2018–2021): Diaspora Responses to Authoritarian Rule
• EU Horizon 2020 (2018–2023): MAGYC Migration Governance Project