Summer Forester, Ph.D.

sforeste@purdue.edu

Purdue University

Country: United States (Indiana)

About Me:

I am a post-doctoral research at the Purdue Policy Research Institute.

Research Interests

Gender and Politics

Middle East & North African Politics

Human Rights

Conflict Processes & War

Public Policy

International Security

Violence Against Women

Critical Military Studies

Family Planning Policies

Gender & Institutions

Countries of Interest

Jordan

Morocco

Uganda

My Research:

My current book project, “Security Threats and The Policy Agenda: Understanding Variation in Women’s Rights in the Middle East,” examines how domestic and international security issues shape policies on violence against women, legislative quotas, and family law in countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Using both large-scale statistical analyses and primary data collected during 18 months of fieldwork in Jordan, this research shows how debates about women’s rights are informed by the security context in which policymakers and activists work. I find that security threats affect the policy agenda, raising the profile of women’s rights that bolster state’s defense interests. I also contend that security threats constrain the depth and breadth of civil society activities and affect whether governmental elites will accept feminist policy initiatives.