Hangwei Li

Hangwei Li is a scholar of African society and politics, a political scientist at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). She taught at the China Agricultural University after completing her doctorate at SOAS, University of London. She has also been an advisor of African Views Organisation and a Predoctoral fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, as well as a researcher at the Global Development Policy Centre, Boston University. Hangwei has a broad interest in African political thought, post-colonial theory, theories on media politics, political theories of migration, the political economy of Africa and China-Africa interactions.

Her previous work has been published in various academic journals and media platforms, including Journal of African Media Studies, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, Perspectives Chinoises, the African Review, Modern Africa, the Africa Report, African Studies Quarterly, the Conversation, among others.

Prior to her current gig, Hangwei worked as a journalist and researcher for three years in Africa (mainly in Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania). She also has working experiences with the United Nations Information Centre, Council of Europe, and University of Zambia. In 2017, she received a silver medal from the United Nations Correspondents Association.

Aside from her research, Hangwei is currently working on a variety of initiatives that foster understanding and dialogue between China, Africa and the Western world.