About

Trained as a social anthropologist in South Africa, he began his career as a researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, studying the social dynamics of innovation in rural communities. He went on to complete an MA in Social Anthropology with distinction at the University of the Witwatersrand, with a thesis on access to justice in Johannesburg’s district courts.

In 2026 he completed his PhD in Sustainability Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, supported by a MEXT scholarship. His dissertation examined migration, bounded precarity and local governance in Japan, drawing on fieldwork with first-generation migrants in Koga and Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture. His recent articles in Social Science Japan Journal explore migrant labour and the role of International Friendship Associations in filling gaps in COVID-19 support. He also interned with the International Organization for Migration in Lao PDR, supporting work on immigration and border governance.

Alongside his research, Brandon has taught anthropology at the University of Pretoria and supported undergraduate teaching at the University of South Africa. Today he is a Support Specialist in Middle School Special Education at The American School in Japan, where he supports students with diverse learning profiles in literacy, executive functioning and access to the curriculum. He shares his practice with other educators, including at the EARCOS Middle School Leadership Conference and SENIA Japan, and has shared his expertise on South African governance with The Asahi Shimbun.

In both settings, his focus is the same: how institutions can move from accommodating difference to designing for it.

He is based in Tokyo and speaks English and Afrikaans, with intermediate Japanese.