Shirley Graham on the Irish Defense Forces and the silencing of a feminist researcher


December 25, 2022

Professor Shirley Graham

Dr. Shirley Graham, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs

In her latest article, Shirley Graham, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs (GEIA) and Associate Professor of Practice of International Affairs, dove into the the hurdles she faced in her many years of research working with the military institution. Years after she published her Ph.D. thesis on UNSCR 1325 and women in peacekeeping operations, she writes on her experience collecting data and defending her findings behind-the-scenes.

Dr. Graham recounted through many examples how the power asymmetry between her and the Forces, which extended from the peacekeeping missions to academia, "frustrated how and when I could conduct my research, who I could access and hear, and what I could know and say".  Using her personal and professional experience, Dr. Graham further explains the concepts of institutional discrimination and the practices of undermining unwelcome researchers under the pretext of security. 

Visit Taylor & Francis Online to read her read the full article, or visit her website and podcast to learn more about her full works.