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Fatuma Ahmed Ali

Associate Professor of International Relations, United States International University

Dr. Fatuma Ahmed Ali is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of the United States International University –(USIU-A), Nairobi, Kenya. She is also a Visiting Faculty and an External researcher of the Interuniversity Institute for Social Development & Peace (IUDESP) of the Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain. She holds a European Doctorate with distinction, an International Masters in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies from the UNESCO Chair for Philosophy of Peace, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (Honors) from United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya.

Her areas of specialization is in the field of International Relations, Peace, Conflict and Development Studies, Post-colonial Studies, Security and Gender Studies. Her research interest include, Gender and Violent Extremism, Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), Women and War, Peace Education, Peace Culture, Indigenous Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding Models, Social Development, African-Islamic Feminism, Women´s agency, Politics, Elections, Peace Settlements and Migration/Displacements in the Horn of Africa, Gender/Child Protection of Refugee, Wartime Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Violence against women.

She has been involved in curriculum development, review/accreditation, program review, and as an external examiner, taught graduate and post-graduate students, and supervised dozens of Master theses and Doctoral dissertations locally and internationally. She has facilitated training for regional diplomats in East Africa, Security sector, District Officers and Police Officers in both Kenya and Spain. Also, she has professionally worked as an independent consultant with International NGOs (Chemonics Kenya Transition Initiative (KTI), Mercy Corps, Marie Stopes International and African Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL)-Religions for Peace), UN agencies (UNDP, UNHCR and UNODC), Kenyan Government and the Commission for University Education (CUE).

Other professional experiences include working as the Co-director of Care Highway International projects in Kenya, security expert assistant for the European Union Election Observation Mission, student’s coordinator at Universitat, Jaume I, Castellón, Spain, primary school teacher, project coordinator and librarian. Dr Ahmed Ali has served as an International Observer of Development and Educational projects of SMARA (a local NGO in Castellón, Spain) and the Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain in Saharawi Refugee camps in Tinduf, Algeria.

Recently, Dr. Ali was awarded a grant by the UK Research Innovation (UKRI) as the Principle Investigator (PI) to carry out a collaborative project with Dr. Sahla Aroussi from Coventry University, UK and Ms. Pauline Skaper from Rift Valley Institute, Kenya in order to develop an open, critical and interdisciplinary global network on Gender and Responding to Violent Extremism (GARVE).

She is also the Vice-Chair of the Board of the NGO Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW) and the Nairobi Patron of the Community based organisation Sisters with a Mission. Dr Ali is a feminist researcher, Pan-Africanist, mentor and an academic activist in the area of Violence against Women. Her recent publications include:

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma, (2020), “Commentary on Somali Migration and Displacement”, in the African Studies Review (ASR), Volume 63, Number 1 (March 2020), pp.117-123, doi:10.1017/asr.2019.84.

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma and Arrno, Stephen Amin (upcoming) “Revolution is Female: Reconstructing African Women's Agency in Political Regime Change Lessons from Sudan's Revolution” in Ylonen, Aleksi, Munyi, Elijah and Mwambari, David (eds), BEYOND HISTORY: African Agency in Development, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, Rowman & Littlefield International.

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (2019), “Civil Wars and Failed Peace Agreements in South Sudan: Yet Another Lost Generation to Build a Peaceful Society”, in the HORN Bulletin Volume II, Issue IV, July-August 2019, 33-41. https://horninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HORN-Bulletin-Vol-II-Issue-IV-July-August-2019.pdf

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma, (2019), “War and armed conflict: threat to African women’s human security”, in Reardon, Betty A. and Asha Hans (2nd edition) (eds), Gender Imperative: Human Security vs. State Security, New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, pp: 108:133, ISBN: 978-1-138-32090-.1

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (2018). "Understanding the Role of Gender Relations in Radicalising and Recruiting Young Muslim Women in Higher Learning Institutions in Nairobi, Kenya", in The African Review Vol.45, No.1:70-95.

Canudo Arnal, Maria and Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (2018). “Exploring Feminine Political Leadership Attributes and Women´s Campaigns during the 2017 General Election in Kenya” in Nyabola, Nanjala and Pommerolle, Marie-Emmanuelle, (eds), Where Women Are: Gender & The 2017 Kenyan Elections, Nairobi, Twaweza Communications Ltd, pp:116-138, ISBN:978-9966-028-81-5.

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (2017), “Women’s Agency and Violence against Women: The Case of the Coalition on Violence Against Women in Kenya” in African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, Vol. 7, No. 1, Women and Peacebuilding (Spring 2017), 51-65, DOI: 10.2979/africonfpeacrevi.7.1.04.

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (March 9, 2017), “Al-Shabaab: Should the Somali president open talks with the terror group” in The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/al-shabaab-should-the-somali-president-open-talks-with-the-terror-group-73458

Ahmed Ali, Fatuma (2015), Mujeres y Guerras: Deconstruyendo la noción de víctimas y reconstruyendo su papel de constructoras de la paz, Castellón, de la Plana Universitat Jaume I, ISBN: 978-84-15444-89-3.https://www.amazon.com/Mujeres-guerra-deconstruyendo-reconstruyendo-constructoras/dp/8415444893

Experience

  • –present
    ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATION, UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-AFRICA

Education

  • 2007 
    UNIVERSITAT JAUME I, CASTELLON DE LA PLANA, DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PEACE, CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES