Research Areas
Political Anthropology | Feminist Theory | Critical Swahili Studies | Indian Ocean Studies
Herein, my specific research interest lies on:
(a) local formations of feminist praxis and the gender of colonial violence and memory in Tanzania
(b) constructions of childhood and protection in contexts of international development in Zanzibar
(c) the socio-political relationship between gender and linguistic belonging in Swahili-speaking diasporic communities across the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, UAE)
Feminist Lives in Tanzania
As part of my appointment as assistant professor of political anthropology at JGU Mainz, I am currently developing a research project on contemporary feminist movements in Tanzania. Here, I am curious about questions and activisms that engage with matters of (self)defense, witnessing, refusal and translation.
Child Protection in Zanzibar
During my PhD at SOAS, I started exploring the friction between internationally initiated child protection interventions and everyday practices of caring for and keeping children safe in Zanzibar. I am interested in what children have to say about their own protection and how these perspectives can make child protection policy and practice more robust.
Swahili-Speakers in Oman
As a Post-Doc at Normative Orders and ZMO Berlin, I started engaging with present-day approaches to preserving the Swahili language in Oman. I am curious about the discourses and practices that aim to prevent Swahili-speaking Omani communities from losing this aspect of belonging, both to the Sultanate and to a `Zanzibari’-diaspora.