The Gender Hubcast: Critical Dimensions of Feminist Practice

This episode of the Gender HubCast is a conversation about feminist practice, exploring its nuances in both research and professional domains. Our guests take us through the complex dynamics between the global North and South, the ethical dimensions of decision-making, challenges faced by early career networks, and the localization of care responsibilities within academic structures.

About the contributors

Host: Lina Malagón Diaz is a Research Associate at the University of Ulster’s Transitional Justice Institute. Her career has balanced academic scholarship, with work as a researcher, litigant and advocacy in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries. Her work is based on interdisciplinary research on transitional justice and peacebuilding in Colombia and other countries. On the GCRF Hub, Lina works in the project socio-economic rights and transitions, developing research on the cases study of Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Sierra Leone. The research engages with diverse stakeholders with experience in using peace agreements and transitional justice measures as leverage to further socioeconomic claims.

Roua Al Taweel is a year PhD candidate, examining the link between forced displacement, socioeconomic injustices, and gender discriminatory nationality laws (GDNL) in the Syrian context. She holds an MA degree in Women’s and Gender Studies (Poland/UK 2014-2016). Roua combines personal, professional and academic experience and interest to enrich academic scholarship on Syria conflict produced by Syrians. In addition to direct engagement with Lebanese, Iraqi and Sudanese displaced communities between 2006-2012, her work with Syrian feminist and women-led organisations included unpacking different aspects of the gendered experience and contributing to research recommendations to the debates around political solutions in the Syrian conflict.

Nicky Armstrong is a Policy and Communications Consultant, currently working with the Gender, Justice and Security Hub. Nicky has a background in graphic design and international relations, using the theories across both disciplines to inform her ongoing research around communications and popular culture. Nicky is a PhD student at Queen Mary University London, where she is exploring visual communication and methods when framed around social issues and the role of the communicator and cultural producer in advocacy campaigning.

Luisa Salazar Escalante is a Human Rights lawyer from the Universidad del Rosario and holds an MSc in Social Policy (Research) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is the Regional Coordinator of the Gender, Justice and Security Hub at Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). Research Lead (Colombia) Women’s Rights After War Project from the GJS Hub. Luisa was the Coordinator of the Gender Observatory of the Colombian Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) and Professor at Universidad del Rosario and Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). She is the Barometer Initiative Participation Project Coordinator of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her research is focused on women’s political participation, violence against women in politics, political reforms after the Peace Process with FARC and the gender mainstreaming strategy in post-conflict policies.

Maria Gabriela Vargas Parada is a political scientist with a minor in Sociology and a minor in Development Studies, she graduated from Universidad de Los Andes with a first-class degree. María is the Regional Administrator of the UKRI GCRF Gender, Justice and Security Hub based in the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. María also works as a Research Project Professional for the Universidad de Los Andes and Open Society University Network (OSUN). Her research interests focus on inequality, gender, health and development studies. On the Hub, María is part of the MICA team from where she collaborates in Colombia.

Articles Mentioned in the Episode:

• Ahmed, S. (2018). Feminist hurt/feminism hurts. In A. Koivunen, K. Kyrölä, & I. Ryberg (Eds.), The power of vulnerability: Mobilising affect in feminist, queer and anti-racist media cultures. Manchester University Press.
• C. Enloe. (2004). The Curious Feminist. University of California Press.
• G. Lakoff. (2004). Don’t think of an Elephant: Know your values and frame the debate (Scribe, 2004)
• M. Thompson. (2017). The Discomfort of Safety, Society+Space, Accessed 21st February 2024.

Hub members

Dr Lina Malagon  Roua Al Taweel Nicky Armstrong Luisa Salazar María Gabriela Vargas

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The Gender Hubcast: Engaging in the Messiness of Field Work: Feminist Approaches to International Studies

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