Dr. Bompani is a senior lecturer in African Development and Director of the Centre of African Studies at the School of Social and Political Science, the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Bompani’s work focuses on the intersection between religion, politics and development in Sub-Saharan Africa. For several years her research has investigated the relationship between religious organisations and their activities and socio-political action in post-apartheid South Africa. She has also been involved in a research project looking at Christian churches in Kenya and their role in promoting biotechnology and development. Between 2009 and 2011 she worked on a research project that analysed the role of Faith-based Organisations in South Africa to support non-citizens during the xenophobic attacks in 2008 and in 2009 and the churches’ critical voice towards State’s intervention. Since 2012 she has been involved in a research project that investigates the role of Pentecostal-charismatic churches (PCCs) in framing public and political discourses around morality, sexuality and public engagement in Uganda.

Amongst other publications, she is the author of “Local religious organisations performing development: Refugees in the Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg” in Journal of International Development, vol. 27, Issue 2, 2015; (with Terreni Brown S.) ‘A “religious revolution”? Print media, sexuality and religious discourse in Uganda’ in Journal of Eastern African Studies, vol. 9, issue 1, 2015; and (with Frahm Arp M.) Development and Politics from Below, Exploring Religious Spaces in the African State, Palgrave-MacMillan, London (2010).