Sophia Birchinger

Sophia Birchinger is a doctoral researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), affiliated with Goethe University Frankfurt. She works in the Glocal Junctions research department and the African Intervention Politics research group, focusing on international peacebuilding, local perceptions of coercion, and the role of African regional organizations like the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS.

• Master’s in International Studies/Peace and Conflict Research (Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt)
• Bachelor’s in Political Science/Fundamental Economics/Management (Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg)

Her PhD project examines bottom-up perspectives on military and non-military interventions within the African Peace and Security Architecture, with fieldwork in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. She has contributed to publications on topics like social polarization in Guinea-Bissau, local legitimacy in AU/ECOWAS interventions, and FGM/C policy implementation.

Sophia’s work emphasizes the intersection of peacebuilding, coercion theories, and local agency, with a focus on West Africa. Her research has been published in outlets such as International Peacekeeping, PRIF Blog, and PRIF Working Paper series.