Email: [email protected]
I am an applied social anthropologist working in international development. I joined the University of Portsmouth as a Lecturer in September 2011, and was promoted to Professor in September 2017.
I began my academic career with a degree in Politics and the Study of Religion at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London in 1996. In 1997, I completed an MA in Social Anthropology of Development at SOAS followed by a PGCE at the University of Cambridge, before returning to SOAS for my PhD. My thesis, "Challenging the NGOs: Women, Religion and Western Dialogues in India", was published as a book by Bloomsbury Academic in 2006.
I have also worked as a Tutor in International Development Studies at the University of East Anglia, a Lecturer in Social Anthropology at London Metropolitan University, and a Lecturer of Gender Studies at the University of London.
I have worked with Plan International on a project working to end violence against children in South Sudan. I have also worked on various projects with Stop Domestic Abuse in Havant, and released a report in collaboration with the charity and the Home Office.
My main research interest is in ending violence against women and girls and promoting social inclusion (including gender, disability and mental health). In collaboration with research networks, NGOs and affected communities, I'm involved in projects seeking to end:
- Female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sudan
- Breast ironing in West and Central Africa
- Rape, harassment and dowry-related violence in India
- Violence against women generally in South Sudan
- Direct links between women, violence and displacement in Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar
- Links between women, work and violence in Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan
I lecture on various units within the Development Studies courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Portsmouth.
My research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the British Academy.