Beyond the Conference: How CSJ Seed Funding Shaped My First BISA Experience

While completing the final stage of my fieldwork in Nigeria in 2025, I received the British International Studies Association (BISA) call for abstracts via the members' newsletter. Energised by my fieldwork and eager to share my emerging findings, I submitted an abstract. I was delighted when it was accepted. However, my excitement was quickly tempered by a familiar challenge: how would I fund my participation? As conference registration reminders continued to arrive in my inbox, attending BISA seemed increasingly out of reach.

Everything changed when the Centre for Childhood and Social Justice (CJS) at the University of Bristol announced seed funding for postgraduate researchers to attend conferences or undertake research. I was thrilled when my application was successful. The funding covered my conference registration and accommodation, turning an uncertain opportunity into a reality. What followed showed that the value of CJS conference funding extends far beyond attending a single event.

The conference in Brighton held special personal significance. Long before beginning my doctoral studies, Brighton had symbolised an unrealised academic aspiration. During my MSc applications, I had hoped to study at the University of Sussex, but my sponsor, the Ford Foundation, assigned me to Swansea instead. Years later, Brighton was once again an option for doctoral study, yet I eventually joined the University of Bristol. Attending BISA, therefore, gave me my first opportunity to visit a city that had featured prominently in my academic aspirations. Experiencing Brighton's vibrant, beautiful pier and academic environment transformed a long-held ambition into a memorable reality.

Academically, the conference proved equally rewarding. I presented my paper, Social Infrastructure and Ethnic Politics: An Interconnected Risk Concerning Child Soldiers' Self-Reintegration in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region, as part of the Africa and International Studies Working Group (AISG) panel. The panel brought together scholars and postgraduate researchers exploring post-conflict, security, and development across Africa, generating lively

and insightful discussions. Audience members even remarked that it was among the strongest panels at the conference.

Drawing on my doctoral research, I examined how ethnicity, clan membership, kinship, and peer solidarities function as alternative social infrastructures that support the self-reintegration of excluded former child soldiers, beyond the brokerage networks dominated by ex-commanders. I also highlighted that reintegration opportunities remain uneven within the dominant Ijaw ethnic group, with some clans continuing to experience marginalisation despite their shared ethnic identity.

The feedback I received strengthened my research considerably. Colleagues encouraged me to continue analysing the eight Ijaw clans as distinct social and political entities rather than as a single, homogeneous ethnic group. This reinforced the originality of my argument and sharpened the scholarly contribution my thesis makes to debates about child soldiers' post-conflict reintegration in the Niger Delta. I was equally inspired by conversations with fellow researchers, including one who had recently defended her doctoral thesis on the African Union and shared fascinating reflections on conducting fieldwork in Ethiopia.

One of the most unexpected outcomes of attending BISA came at the close of the conference. Several academic publishers generously distributed complimentary copies of recently published books. Coming from Nigeria, a country where many public libraries struggle to acquire current academic publications, I immediately recognised the value of these resources. I collected approximately 41 books, most of which were published in 2025 and 2026, covering International Relations and Politics.

These books have since been formally donated to the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abuja, where they will support staff, researchers, and the wider public. Transporting such a large collection from Brighton to Bristol without planning for the extra luggage was certainly a challenge, but one I gladly accepted. It also continued a personal commitment to improving access to knowledge in Nigeria, following a previous donation of books to a public library during my MSc studies. While the books themselves were generously provided by conference publishers and transported to Nigeria free of charge by Air Peace Nigerian Airlines, this contribution would never have happened without the CJS funding that enabled me to attend the conference in the first place.

Looking back, the CJS seed funding delivered benefits that extended well beyond conference attendance. It enabled me to fulfil a long-held aspiration by visiting Brighton, provided a

valuable platform to present my doctoral research and receive constructive feedback that strengthened my thesis, and created an unexpected opportunity to contribute to scholarship in Nigeria by donating current academic books to a public institution.

Traditionally, conference funding is viewed as financial support for travel and participation. My BISA/CJS experience shows that its impact can be much broader, creating opportunities not only for academic growth and meaningful professional connections but also for contributions that extend well beyond the conference itself. For these opportunities and their lasting impact, I remain sincerely grateful to the Centre for Childhood and Social Justice for supporting my participation in BISA 2025.