Research Areas

My major research interests are in criminal justice, environmental regulation and socio-legal reforms. ,Law,

Profile

Gift Dorothy Makanje is a lawyer and academic with over ten years of teaching and research experience in Malawi and recently, the United Kingdom. Gift is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Malawi’s public law and clinical legal education department and in the past served as Head of the foundational law department. A prolific researcher with several publications in prominent international journals and edited book collections, Gift’s broad research interests lie in criminal justice, environmental regulation and socio-legal reforms. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Gift holds an LLB (Honours) degree from the University of Malawi, an LLM (cum laude) in criminal justice and human rights from the University of Aberdeen and has recently obtained her PhD from the University of Durham. Her thesis, titled, Countering Harmful Cultural Practices Through Criminal Law? A Critical Study Based on Fieldwork In African Communities centred on widow cleansing, harmful initiation rites, and female genital mutilation in Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya. It advances three evidence-based approaches to enhance the criminal response to harmful cultural practices. Prior to joining the academia, Gift served in the Malawi Judiciary as Senior Resident Magistrate, Principal Resident Magistrate and Assistant Registrar for the High Court (Commercial Division).

Publications

• Journal Article
  GENDER AND DISABILITY CONSIDERATIONS IN SENTENCING IN MALAWI (Undergoing review for publication in the Zambia Social Science Journal) (2026)
  

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• Journal Article
  Gender and Disability Considerations in Sentencing in Malawi (2026, Pending publication in the Southern African Public Law Journal) (2026)
  

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• Journal Article
  Makanje, GD ‘Crimes involving dishonesty or moral turpitude in Malawi’s elections’ (2019) 18(1) Journal of African Elections 108-128, doi-10.20940/JAE/2019/v18i196 (2019)
  Makanje, GD ‘Crimes involving dishonesty or moral turpitude in Malawi’s elections’ (2019) 18(1) Journal of African Elections 108-128, doi-10.20940/JAE/2019/v18i196

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• Book Chapters
  Makanje, GD ‘The environment management act (2017) and natural resource regulation in malawi: opportunities for and limitations to effective enforcement’ in P Kameri-Mbote et al (eds) Law/Environment/Africa (Baden: NOMOS, 2018) (2018)
  

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• Book Chapters
  Confirmation of Peer Review Process for Book chapter (2018)
  

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• Book Chapters
  'Balancing the interests of vulnerable witnesses and of the defendant in criminal proceedings in Malawi: An ubuntu inspired approach' pending Publication in Edited Book Collection on Comparative Approaches to Vulnerable Witness Testimony in Criminal Trials. (2016)
  

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