Scarlett Cornelissen

Professor, Department of Political Science & Director:
Stellenbosch University Japan Centre

Scarlett Cornelissen is professor in the Department of Political Science at Stellenbosch University and director of the Stellenbosch University Japan Centre. Her research centres on Africa’s international political economy and the region’s relations with Asia. She was Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University and Leibniz Professor, Leipzig University. She is a current co-editor of Geopolitics and a former co-editor of Review of International Studies. She is recipient of the International Studies Association Global South Caucus’s 2025 Distinguished Scholar Award.