Academic doctoral defenses scheduled for October 2026

Two doctoral thesis defenses are scheduled for October 2026 in France.

Maxime Gaborit will defend his thesis, titled ‘Forms of Death: Climate Activism and Democracy in the Time of Extinctions,’ at Sciences Po Paris on October 9. His research, conducted through a partnership with UCLouvain, uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how climate protesters in France between 2018 and 2024 relate mortality and catastrophe to political radicalism.

Donatien Ndikuriyo will defend his thesis, ‘The Question of the Unification of Ruanda-Urundi in Debate (1945-1964),’ at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour on October 7. His work utilizes UN and Belgian archives to analyze the geopolitical challenges and Pan-Africanist initiatives surrounding the proposed political union of Rwanda and Burundi during the decolonization era and the Cold War.