Master of Political Science, Comparative Literature, Art and Media Science
Campus Griebnitzsee
DFG-Research Training Group "WIPCAD"
University of Potsdam
Department of Economics
and Social Sciences
August-Bebel-Straße 89
14482 Potsdam, Germany
Office: Campus Griebnitzsee, House 7,
Room 3.07.211-15
“Translating institutional change: The EU’s role in promoting human rights for LGBTI persons in Sub-Sahara Africa.”
2013 - ongoing
German Research Foundation PhD Fellow, Wicked Problems, Contested Administrations (WIPCAD) Research and Training Centre, University of Potsdam, Germany
Thesis: The Role of the EU in Proliferating Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation in Aid-Recipient Countries.
2007 – 2008
European M.A. of Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA), European Inter-University Centre (EIUC) Venice, Italy; Netherlands Centre for Human Rights (SIM) University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
Thesis: Proliferation of Non-Discrimination – Problems and Possibilities. A Study of Non-Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation in Law and Private Sector Policies and Practices, grade: 9.5/10, supervisor: Prof. Jenny Goldschmidt, Director of Netherlands Institute for Human Rights
2001 – 2007
M.A. Political Science, Comparative Literature, Art and Media Science, University of Konstanz, Germany; York University, Toronto, Canada (exchange student 2003-4)
Thesis: Politics in Texts – Texts as Politics: A Comparison of Literary Comments on Globalisation in Essays by Arundhati Roy, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Salman Rushdie and Juli Zeh, grade: with distinction, supervisor: Prof. Aleida Assmann, Chair for American and English Literature
1998 – 2000
International Baccalaureate (IB), United World College (UWC) of the Atlantic, Wales, UK
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa Feb. 2013
Sexual Minorities Rights M.A. and Summer School
European Inter-University Centre (EIUC), Venice, Italy Nov. 2010, 2011, 2012
European M.A. students in Human Rights and Democratisation
Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Dec. 2008
M.A. students of Human Rights
Commonwealth Institute, University of London, UK 2008
M.A. Human Rights seminar
United World College of the Atlantic, UK 2008, 2011
International Baccalaureate students
Political Science Department, University of Konstanz, Germany Sept. 2005-Feb. 2006
M.A. Political Science students
Recruitment and Strategic Development Officer since September 2012
Greater London Fostering, London, UK
Education Officer August 2008 – June 2012
Stonewall Equality (Europe’s largest LGBT Human Rights charity), London, UK
Elected Vice President and Board Member E.MAlumni Association Since 2010
European Inter-University Centre, Venice, Italy
Project Manager Gender ID Action Week April -Nov. 2006
University Equal Opportunities Office and Women’s Council City of Konstanz, Germany
Assistant to GIZ Nepal Country Director Feb.-March 2006
GIZ Nepal and Risk Management Office DFID, Kathmandu, Nepal
Assistant Teacher for Health Studies and English Sept. 2000-Jan. 2001
Dhulikhel Primary School, Nepal
Human Rights
non-discrimination
inclusion/exclusion
public administrations’ obligations to promote Human Rights
organisational diversity policy
LGBT equality
gender
globalisation
The EU has committed itself to promoting and protecting human rights of LGBTI persons worldwide. This is puzzling since even among EU member states there is no clear consensus on what constitutes human rights for LGBTI persons. It has led to the accusation of cultural imperialism, in particular from the heads of states from some African countries. It also highlights inconsistencies between external and internal policy, and between expectations of third countries and its own member states.
This thesis examines the processes at play within a public administration dealing with a highly contested and complex issue spanning different levels. The main question this exploratory and explanatory research asks is, how contested institutional change is translated in a complex environment and across levels. The focus is on empirically analyzing the translation process into a different cultural, legal and political, institutional and organizational context. It will first look closely at how LGBTI issues were included into human rights at EU foreign policy level and then secondly how the organizational units of EU Delegations and member state embassies work within a post-colonial context on the ground in Kenya and Uganda.
This interdisciplinary and mainly qualitative study, situated at organisational field level, is based on a grounded theory-inspired methodology, i.e. data driven, and loosely situated within the framework of Sociological New Institutionalism. Combined with a two-step case study design, this enables the close examination of translation processes from Brussels policy level to the sensemaking of the EU Delegation staff and EU Member States Embassy staff.
DFG-Research Training Group "WIPCAD"
University of Potsdam
Department of Economics and Social Sciences
August-Bebel-Straße 89
14482 Potsdam, Germany
Office: Campus Griebnitzsee, House 7, Room 211-215
E-Mail: coordinatoruwipcad-potsdampde