Mr. Chiudza Banda's current research interests revolve around conducting a historical analysis of the reactions of the colonial state (1891-1964) and the post-colonial state (1964-1994) in Malawi (formerly called Nyasaland Protectorate), to suppress individuals and civil society organizations that challenged the authority and legitimacy of the states in question. He is particularly interested in analyzing what has been described as state counter-insurgency, whereby the state uses resources at its disposal, such as the police forces, manipulations of the information and legal systems, and embarking on development programs as a tool for propaganda, to both defeat the ‘insurgents’ and also to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the society at large