Clare Vaughan: PhD Partnering Scheme

In Case Studies by jvnf65

University: School of Sociology, Newcastle University

PhD Partnering Scheme University: Pontificia Universida de Católica do Rio Grande de Sul (PUCRS) University, Brasil

Title of PhD project: Gendered Violence in Homelessness: A Biographical Investigation of Young Women at Risk

The benefits of working in a PhD partnering scheme on my personal development have been…
The opportunity to go to Brazil has been incredible, and I have met scholars I would now consider good friends – engaging in several academic opportunities as a result. Understanding the challenge of enacting feminist scholarship and activism in an increasingly hostile and conservative environment, such as Brazil, has shed new light on my project and strengthened my determination to enact positive change for women experiencing violence at the hands of men. In essence, I have gained a sense of international solidarity!

The benefits of working in PhD partnering scheme on my PhD have been…

Meeting with Sociologists conducting similar research to myself at PUCRS has given me a new analytical lens and context through which to consider my research. This was bolstered by the city tours and presentations I attended at PUCRS and Rio de Janeiro State University, on rights to the city, poverty and family violence. Disseminating my work on homelessness at a conference in Brazil has also highlighted the important need to contextualise my research when discussing it in international environments.

Dissemination opportunities have included…
On visiting PUCRS in 2016, I presented my work to the Centre of Economic and Social Analysis. I also had the opportunity to attend seminars on using the biographical interpretive method. Following my visit to Brazil, I was invited to present at La Salle University, at the II International Conference on Justice and Levels of Interaction: Gender Identity, Citizenship and Social Distance. Here, I discussed violence and ‘invisible’ homelessness, from a feminist perspective. The feedback given here has helped me develop a strong narrative thread through my writing.

I have presented at several other conferences and workshops. Recent (2017) conference presentations include the Nordic Geographers’ Meeting within the theme of visual methods, and the Interpersonal Violence Interventions Conference on the theme of violence within homelessness. Later in 2017 I will be attending an interactive feminist workshop on activism and feminist scholarship, which will act as a knowledge exchange.