Dr. Fidelis Udo

Fidelis Udo is a Research Fellow at the Institute. He holds a PhD in Political Science, a master's degree in Political Science, and a Bachelor of Social Science Honours degree in International Relations (Cum Laude), all from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Cum Laude) from St Joseph's Theological Institute, South Africa. He has tutored various humanities and social sciences modules at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, between August 2016 and November 2022. He also served as an external academic at the Management Institute of Southern Africa, MANCOSA, in South Africa between July 2021 and May 2023, where he lectured modules in the Public Administration Department, including Professional Ethics for Public Service Managers, Local Government 2B and Research in the Public Sector. Fidelis has done a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Andrew W. Mellon-funded project on Spatial Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where his research work included issues on the intersection of space, place and memory in urban and Peri-urban areas in Durban, South Africa. His research interests include identity politics, gender, climate adaptation, community-based research, and diversity in urban spaces. Fidelis has published in reputable peer-reviewed international journals. He has also peer-reviewed articles in reputable academic journals, including the Journal of Sustainable Development.

Research projects

• Climate displacement and diversification: changing patterns of migration and peri-urban settlement (with Jamila Hamidu)

Publications

Journal Articles

Udo, F., & Naidu, M. (2023). Assessing local government’s response to black women’s vulnerability and adaptation to the impacts of floods in the context of intersectionality: The case of eThekwini metropolitan municipality, South Africa. Environmental Policy and Governance, eet.2053. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2053

Udo, F., & Naidu, M. (2023). Examining the Interplay between Economic Development and Local Women Vulnerability to Flood Impacts in Selected Local Areas in Durban, South Africa. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 58(5), 779–793. https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096211069646

Udo, F., & Naidu, M. (2023). Exploring Black African women’s experiences of vulnerability and adaptation to flood impacts in the eThekwini metropolitan municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 93, 103798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103798

Other Publications

Udo, F. J. (2020). Gender and climate change adaptation in South Africa: A case study of vulnerability and adaptation experiences of local black African women to flood impacts within the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. (PhD Thesis). Retrieved from https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/19788

Udo, F. J. (2018). Exploring South Africa’s leadership potential in climate change discourse in Africa. (Master Thesis). Retrieved from https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/16509