Mark Barrow

Mark Barrow For media enquiries please contact the Press Team
Lecturer
Faculty:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
School:
Humanities and Social Sciences
Location:
Cambridge
Areas of Expertise:
International development , Policy , Sociology , Human rights , Ethnography
Courses taught:

Mark’s research expertise is in conflict and violence, political repression, peacebuilding and reconciliation, and the role of civil society in global governance.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

[email protected]

Background

Mark completed a PhD in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge in 2025. He is currently converting his PhD thesis, titled ‘Resilience and Adaptability: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cypriot Peacebuilding Organisations’, into a book (Bloomsbury). He has published his research in a range of academic and non-academic outlets, including the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, Negotiation Journal, Peace and Conflict Journal, and E-International Relations.

Aside from working at ARU, Mark has held teaching positions at University College London; Queen Mary, University of London; The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and the University of Cambridge. Mark has taught a range of disciplines and subject areas, including International Relations and Politics, History, and Sociology, but his specialism is in Conflict and Peace Studies.

Prior to his PhD, Mark completed an MPhil (Master’s) degree in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. His BA (undergraduate) degree was in History and Journalism from Bangor University. He is currently completing the accreditation to become an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Research interests
  • Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
  • International and Civil Conflict
  • Political Repression and Violence
  • Civil Society and Social Movements
Teaching

Mark currently teaches on the following modules:

  • Intoxicants and Intoxication
  • Mobilities and Migration
Qualifications
  • PhD, Politics and International Studies – University of Cambridge (2025). Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • MPhil, Politics and International Studies – University of Cambridge (2021). Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
  • BA, History and Journalism – Bangor University (2018)
Memberships, editorial boards
  • British International Studies Association (BISA) - Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Human Rights Working Group
Selected recent publications

Published or accepted for publication

Journal articles

Barrow, Mark (2026) ‘Collaboration and Isolationism: How Cypriot Peacebuilding Organisations Navigate Political and Legal Restrictions’. Peacebuilding. Forthcoming: Spring 2026.

Barrow, Mark (2026) ‘Exploiting Loopholes: How Cypriot Peace Education Practitioners overcome Contextual Challenges’. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology (PAC). Special Issue on ‘Teaching Complex Histories: Education during and after Conflict’. Forthcoming: Spring 2026.

Barrow, M. (2025). Resilience and Adaptability: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cypriot Peacebuilding Organisations [Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository]

Barrow, Mark (2024) ‘Widening Participation: How Cypriot Peacebuilding Practitioners are Responding to the “Usual Suspects” Problem’. Negotiation Journal 40(1-2): 75-97. Available from MIT Direct.

Barrow, Mark (2023) 'Enabling Within Constraints: Assessing International Aid's Impact Upon Cypriot Peacebuilding Organisations'. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development 18(3): 295-309. Available from Sage Journals.

Book chapters

Barrow, Mark (2026) ‘Creating a Shared identity: Civil Society Resistance to Cypriot Ethnonationalism’, in Lengel, Lara Martin & Victoria Newsom (eds.), Advocating Democratization, Authenticating Identities: Activisms of Resistance to Rising Religio-Ethnonationalisms. Forthcoming: Bloomsbury: Spring 2026.

Blogs and forums

Barrow, Mark (2026) ‘From the Periphery to the Centre: Why Civil Society is the Future of Peacebuilding’, E-International Relations. Forthcoming.

Barrow, Mark (2023) ‘Interpreting Indigenous Peacebuilding Civil Society Organisations’, E-International Relations. 

Barrow, Mark (2022) ‘Understanding Peacebuilding: An Issue of Approach Rather than Definition’, E-International Relations.

Barrow, Mark (2022) ‘Challenging Information Control with Communication Technologies in Syria’, E-International Relations. 

Barrow, Mark (2022) ‘A Cat-and-Mouse Game? How Syrian Citizen Journalists Evade State Repression’, Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum. 

Reports

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (2023) Independent Review of The Future of Compute: Final report and recommendations (in collaboration).

Aviva (2022) Building Future Communities Creating resilient homes and businesses in a changing climate (in collaboration).

Recent presentations and conferences
  • International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Conference (2025) – presenter and discussant
  • European International Studies Association (EISA) Annual Conference (2024) – presenter, discussant and panel chair
  • British International Studies Association (BISA) Annual Conference (2024) – presenter
  • Conflict Research Society (CRS) annual conference (2024) – presenter and discussant
  • University of Toamasina and University of Reading international conference: Piecing the Peace Together: Hybridization Processes and the Local (2023) – presenter and panel chair
  • Queen’s University Belfast Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace Security and Justice, Annual Postgraduate Research Conference (2022) – presenter
  • University of Alberta’s International Graduate Student Virtual Symposium, Rethinking MENA and the Muslim World (2022) – presenter