diversity equity inclusion

Accents, inclusion, and migration with Dr. Zdena Mtetwa-Middernacht [Ep. 16]

In this episode, Laura speaks with Dr. Zdena Mtetwa-Middernacht, whose doctoral research focused on whiteness in migration. Listen if you are interested in:
 
Why you might need to learn to fake an Australian accent
Colonisation and legacies of privileged whiteness in Zimbabwe
What intersectionality means and how it affects our lives
Transnationalism and living in two places at once
Wearing different identity hats, and living different lives
 
 
About Zdena:
 
Zdena Middernacht began reading for a PhD in International Relations in 2013. Prior to this she earned a Masters in International Relations from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (2012),a BA Honours in Organisational Psychology from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa (2008) and a BA Psychology degree (2007) also from the NMMU.
 
She has worked for civil society organisations in South Africa and in Belgium, including Khulumani (South Africa), The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples’ Organization (Belgium) and Save the Children (Belgium). She is currently working as a Senior Research Consultant for ODS in Brussels, and as Non-Executive Director for Seefar Enterprise, whose mission is working with vulnerable people to build a better future.
 
She has also served as a member of the executive committee of the South African Youth for International Diplomacy.
 
Links to learn more:
Zdena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zdena-mtetwa-middernacht-ph-d-111bb59
Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/zdenamtetwa/
 
About Laura:
 
Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer.  Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science.  Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics.  Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!
 

Gender, conflict, and saving pandas with Brianna Hernandez [Ep. 15]

In this episode, Laura speaks with PhD candidate Brianna Hernandez, whose work focuses on gender, conflict, and environmentalism.  She is currently at Florida International University, committee member for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a WWF panda ambassador.
 
Listen if you want to hear about:
The problem of binaries and black-and-white thinking
Why we can't 'just add women and stir' in peacebuilding processes
'Not all men', gender-based violence, and victim/perpetrator roles
The cross-over between gender inclusion and environmentalism
The problem of empowerment
When we should (and shouldn't!) listen to experts
 
 
Links to learn more:
Personal website: https://briannanhernandez.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brihz1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_brihernandez1

Gender, climate change, and conflict with Laura Aumeer [Ep. 13]

In this episode Laura interviews Laura Aumeer, Director of the Europe-Asia Department of Conciliation Resources, overseeing work in the South Caucasus and South Asia regions, as well as cross-regional peacebuilding work.
Laura brings expertise on adaptive peacebuilding management and led our work with the Smart Peace consortium, an innovative consortium integrating research and implementation to address complex conflict problems. She also worked closely with the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth Team, providing secretariat support to the network. 
Before Laura joined Conciliation Resources, she set up and managed violence reduction programmes with a focus on learning and innovation, for an international development consultancy, where she managed teams in Nigeria, South Sudan and Malawi. She previously worked in DFID, to support adaptive programming and learning.
Before this, she worked in and with grassroots UK-based charities to advocate for an inclusive approach to tackling gender-based violence, and to increase support for women's organisations. She holds an MSc from LSE in politics and democracy, for which she conducted research with women's organisations and wider civil society organisations in Thailand and Egypt on the changing nature of civil society-state relations.
Laura Aumeer | Conciliation Resources (c-r.org)