International Development Studies
Telephone: (204) 953-3857
j.sears@uwinnipeg.ca
Jon Sears approaches International Development Studies from a multi-disciplinary background en anglais et en français.
Education
• Ph.D. Political Studies (Queen’s – Kingston, ON)
• M.A. Political Philosophy (Brock – St. Catharines, ON)
• B.A. Honours Anthropology (Saint Thomas – Fredericton, NB)
Teaching (2007-2012)
Menno Simons College Campus (@University of Winnipeg)
• Introduction to International Development Studies
• An Analysis of Development Aid Policies
• Development Ethics
• Practicum in International Development Studies (Faculty advisor)
• Senior Seminar in International Development Studies
• Development Theory (Co-taught)
CMU Shaftesbury Campus
• Global Politics
• Comparative Politics of Development: Africa
• Gender and Politics
• Outtatown Discipleship School French Africa program
Research
• Jon’s theory-building work is mapping theories of change at the interface of thinking about ‘development’ and ‘peacebuilding.’
• From his doctoral thesis and subsequent fieldwork, Jon continues to investigate how citizen identity in African contexts is rooted in multiple cultures, and how these political cultures are affected by responses by individuals and groups to economic and political liberalization.
• At a preliminary stage, collaborative work on African Development and Manitoba-Africa Diasporas will identify and analyze the meanings and means of ‘doing development’ used by groups and individuals in Manitoba for their ‘home’ African communities.
Some recent scholarship
• Book chapter. “Peacebuilding between Canadian Values and Local Knowledge: Some Lessons from Timbuktu.” In Charbonneau, B. and Cox, W. eds. Locating Global Order: American Power and Canadian Security After 9/11 Vancouver: University of British Columbia (UBC) Press. 2010
• Refereed Conference Paper. “Development Thinking and Practice from ‘Impasse’ to ‘Peacebuilding.’” International Studies Association, 15-19 February 2009, New York, NY
• Book review. Brainard L. and Chollet, D., eds.. Too Poor for Peace? Global Poverty, Conflict, and Security in the 21st Century. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press, 2007. In Peace Research Journal Vol. 40, No. 1 (2008).
Personal
Jon and his wife Thea engage their community through Saint Benedict’s Table, Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship, and the Daniel McIntyre / St. Matthews Community Association.
