Research Projects
War, the End of Empire, and the Expansion Women’s Political Citizenship
13 of the 19 female members of the Finnish parliament — the first female members of a national parliament in the world – elected in 1907. Photo credit: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
I am currently directing a project funded by the National Science Foundation on War, the End of Empire, and the Expansion of Women’s Political Citizenship. This project builds on my 2015 book, Women and Power in Postconflict Africa. I show through historical process tracing how major conflict and the end of empire is tied to the expansion of women’s political citizenship in the 20th century, looking at the cases of Finland, Türkiye, Tunisia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and the counterfactual case of Switzerland. I have benefited from the research assistance of Pihla Pekonen (Finland), Sawsene Nejjar (Tunisia), Eva Granwehr (Switzerland), Hiba Irmak and Atacan Atakan (Türkiye), Farida Silla (Tanzania), Joana Ramos (Mozambique), Carlos Fernandes (Mozambique), and Monica Komer, and Jérémie Langlois (United States).
