I work at the intersection of Development-, Crisis-, and Area studies. My research aims to contribute to unpacking the strong but often complex linkages between locally-anchored social dynamics, transnational politics, and global developments. More specifically, I examine the relationship between citizens, different forms of authority, and related dynamics of security and insecurity in spaces where political order is subject to constant renegotiation. Grounded in empirical work, I seek to advance theoretical understanding of how people navigate the political, geographical and/or economic margins with an emphasis on the Central African Republic, the Sahel region, and South Sudan.

• De Vries, Lotje and Tim Glawion (2023) “Studying Insecurity from Relative Safety — Dealing with methodological blindspots“, Qualitative Research, 23 (4); 883-899.
• Marijnen, Esther, Lotje de Vries and Rosaleen Duffy (2021) “Conservation in violent environments: Introduction to a special issue on the political ecology of conservation amidst violent conflict“, Political Geography, 87, 102253.
• Van Leeuwen, Mathijs, Gillian Mathys, Lotje de Vries and Gemma van der Haar (2022) “From resolving land disputes to agrarian justice – dealing with the structural crisis of plantation agriculture in eastern DR Congo,” The Journal of Peasant Studies, 49 (2): 309-334.
• De Vries, Lotje (2020). “Navigating violence and exclusion: The Mbororo’s claim to the Central African Republic’s margins“. Geoforum, 109: 162-170.