Congratulations to Zora Hauser on the successful completion of her DPhil
Congratulations to Dr Zora Hauser, who has been awarded her DPhil in Sociology.
Zora's DPhil thesis "Mafia Expansion to New Territories: The 'Ndrangheta in Germany" was completed under the supervision of Professor Federico Varese. In her study, Zora provides a unique empirical analysis of one of the least studied - yet most widely spread - mafias in the world.
One of the most important achievements of the thesis was to tease out the nuances of the process of criminal mobility, presenting a full exploration of how mafias adapt to a range of contextual and temporal conditions in a new territory.
The research is based on extensive fieldwork and a wide range of hard-to-reach primary sources, covering a time span of 30 to 40 years. The work is organised around three rigorously compared case-studies, compiled following the principles of analytical ethnography and therefore allowing for an explanation beyond the specific case of Germany. More specifically, Zora explores the role played by migration waves, diaspora communities, and the state's capacity to act within the context of consolidated democracies and efficient institutions.
Zora's work has been featured in the CNN, Der Spiegel, the FAZ, and the Swiss Broadcasting Group (SRF), among others. Based on her research, Zora has given evidence in front of the first parliamentary enquiry into Italian mafias in German history.
Zora will continue her research within the broader field of organised crime as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology. Before starting her DPhil, Zora worked in the private sector on countering transnational trafficking, and served as an analyst for the NATO Foundation and the Italian Ministry of Defence. She holds an MA in International Relations and a BA in Political Science from LUISS University, Rome.
We are delighted to welcome Dr Hauser to the Department as a Postdoctoral Fellow, and wish her every success in her future career.
