Dashkova Centre

Cathy Ratcliff

Cathy passed her viva in summer 2017. She also holds an MSc in Social and Public Policy from The University of Edinburgh and a First Class MA Joint Honours in French and Russian Studies from The University of Aberdeen.

Cathy Ratcliff

Cathy investigated how the Soviet print media portrayed Africa and international development. She uses Discourse Historical Analysis and examines the Soviet discourse in the context of Russian and then Soviet encounters with Africa and aid, the Western discourse on these topics at the time, and the legacy of Soviet discourse on these topics in post-Soviet newspaper discourse. The Soviet Union inherited from Russia a distinctive history with Africa, and was a donor to Africa. Post-Soviet Russia received aid, and does not (yet) participate fully in the international donor community. The research should be of interest to people interested in Russia, Africa and international development.

Cathy's interest comes from having studied Russian and Social Policy, worked in Ethiopia which has a centuries-old Russian connection, worked in international development charities for over 20 years and liaised with large government donors to manage funding for development projects.