A Researcher, Writer, and Consultant.
Bringing academic
research into policy,
practice, and public discourse.
Research with purpose
Dariusz is a social scientist whose research focuses on gangs in Cape Town. Based on this work he has written a book on gang entry and exit and published on street culture in a number of peer-reviewed journals. He also has fifteen years of experience carrying out research projects and evaluations in diverse international development and humanitarian settings in: Central and South America, South Asia, North America, Europe, and Southern, East, and West Africa. As a journalist, Dariusz has written features and editorials for Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, and many other media outlets. Dariusz holds a doctorate from SOAS University of London, and is currently an Honorary Research Affiliate at the Centre of Criminology, at the University of Cape Town's Faculty of Law.
Research Academia
Monitoring and Evaluation
Journalism Policy
Lecturing Editorials
Programme Design
Understanding gangs
and street culture
Dariusz has spent the better part of a decade talking to, hanging out with, and writing about gang members in Cape Town. He recently published a book based on that work. Gang Entry and Exit in Cape Town: Getting Beyond The Streets in Africa’s Deadliest City explores street culture through the lives of 24 former members, showing that disengagement from gangs is possible - even in a city ruled by the dictum of 'blood in, blood out'. The book merges street cultural scholarship with disengagement literature to better understand gangs in the Global South.
Dariusz have also published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles on gangs and street culture in Cape Town, as well as in-depth features and editorials on these issues for major international media outlets. His writing is informed by a unique combination of perspectives, bridging practical experience in international development practice, with academic rigour and journalistic style, to produce personalised accounts of typically hidden subjects and settings. Current research interests include: gang violence, street culture, gang disengagement, and criminal desistance.
Consulting Services
Dariusz has designed and led projects using methodologies that range from representative national studies to ethnographies and participatory action research. Issues he has worked on include: armed violence, gender-based violence, peacebuilding, security system reform, urban planning, governance, public health, education, child protection, livelihoods, and agriculture.
Some of my clients are listed below. See more here.
