After completing a Ph.D on the role of the trade unions in the South African liberation movement, Peter undertook research at the the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before working for a Non Government Organisation based in Cape Town. A lifelong trade union member, he has been involved as a researcher and campaigner in a variety of social movement campaigns in civil society both in the UK and South Africa. He has actively worked with the Congress of South African Trade Unions together with a number of Non Governmental Organisations and community organisations in South and Southern Africa. He has also presented at and attended World Social Forums in Brazil, Mali and Kenya. His research interests include, the political economy of development, the political and social implications of macro policy, South African civil society and collective responses to neo-liberalism. 

He is a Research Associate at the Centre for Sociological Research at the University of Johannesburg.

Recent publications include:  

Dwyer, P. and Zeilig, L (2009) 'Township Protests, Militant Strikes: Rethinking the Left's Approach', in The South African Labour Bulletin, volume 33 Number 4, October/November.

Dwyer, Peter (2009) South Africa's climate of rebellion, Pambazuka News issue 450,1 October, here

Larmer, M. Dwyer, P. and Zeilig, L (2009) 'Southern African social movements at the 2007 Nairobi World Social Forum, Global Networks, A Journal of Transnational Affairs, Volume Number 9.

Desai, A. and Dwyer, P. (2008) 'Civil society, the United Nations and WCAR', in Bond, P. and Desai, in Foreign Policy Bottom Up: South African Civil Society and the globalisation of popular solidarity, A report of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society. http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/files/Bond%20Desai%20Foreign%20Policy%20Bottom%20Up%20July%202008.pdf:  

Desai, A. and Dwyer, P. (2008) 'The World $ummit on $ustainable Development', in Bond, P. and Desai, in Foreign Policy Bottom Up: South African Civil Society and the globalisation of popular solidarity, A report of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society. http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs/files/Bond%20Desai%20Foreign%20Policy%20Bottom%20Up%20July%202008.pdf: 

Dwyer, P. Seddon, D and Zeilig, L, (2008) 'An epoch of uprisings: Social movements in post-colonial Africa', paper to 13th International Conference on Alternative Futures and Popular Protest, Manchester Metropolitan University, March 2008.  

Dwyer, P. (2006), ‘The Right to Work: a light in the tunnel’, South African Labour Bulletin, volume 30, issue 4, Oct/Nov.  

Dwyer, P. (2006) ‘The Concerned Citizens Forum: A Fight within a fight’, in Ballard et al (eds), Voices of protest: social movements in post-apartheid South Africa, University of KwaZulu Press, Pietermaritzburg.  

Dwyer P, (2004) The contentious politics of the Concerned Citizens Forum (CCF), Centre for Civil Society research report 27, University of KwaZulu Natal. View here

Dwyer, P, (2003), ‘South Africa: Dying to Fight’, Review of African Political Economy, No 98, Dec 2003.  

Dwyer, P. (2002) ‘South Africa under the ANC: Still bound to the chains of exploitation’ in Class Struggle and Resistance in Africa Leo Zeilig (ed) New Clarion Press Cheltenham.