AN assistant professor of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology has finished his second doctorate degree at the Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs of the Australian National University.

Primitivo III Cabanes Ragandang specialized in international relations. His PhD thesis looked into the intersect of collective memory and community resilience in peacebuilding.

“The thesis explores the case of the post-conflict Bangsamoro in Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines. The examiners described the thesis as an unequivocally new contribution to knowledge, and an exciting development for scholarship on children and youth in international relations as well as on hybridity/post conflict,” MSU-IIT said.

“Dr. Ragandang’s thesis introduces the Visayan term “ayóm-ayóm” to advance the concept of transgenerational resilience, which explores how political systems can persist over time. He plans to publish a book based on his PhD research, which offers a new perspective on the role of memory and transgenerationality in understanding resilience in International Relations,” it added.

During his PhD research, Ragandang published five articles in Scopus-indexed journals. One of these articles focused on the participation of young people in the Bangsamoro peace process.

It was co-authored by Professor Sukanya Podder from King’s College London and was published in the Conflict, Security & Development journal.

Another paper titled “Suicide, shocks, and resilience in (post)conflict Bangsamoro (Philippines)” examined how young peacebuilders use social media to prevent violent extremism.

The study explored the concept of resilience among internally displaced persons who faced dual shocks caused by warfare and the pandemic. It was published in the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.

Ragandang presented his research in conferences in Canada, Belgium, and Norway.

In March 2023, he gave a presentation at the International Studies Association convention held in Montreal, Canada.

He also served as a guest lecturer at Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Ragandang obtained in 2018 his first doctorate from MSU-IIT where he explored the influence of foreign aid to youth-led peacebuilding.

He is a recipient of two scholarships from ANU—the university’s postgraduate research scholarship and the Higher Degree by Research Fee Remission Merit Scholarship.