About

Maryam Rokhideh is a PhD candidate in the joint Peace Studies and Anthropology Program. She is interested in emerging global threats and social safety nets in situations with limited social protection and welfare mechanisms. Her dissertation examines women’s livelihoods and trade networks on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her dissertation builds on over 16 months of mixed methods and ethnographic fieldwork in the Great Lakes region where she provided technical assistance to USAID, WHO, and the US Embassy in Rwanda.

Maryam's work has been supported by a Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women's Studies, Pepe Fellowship, Fulbright, Notre Dame Presidential Fellowship, Kellogg Institute, and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts. Prior to coming to ND, Maryam has worked with the UN, USAID, and non-governmental organizations on health, development, and peacebuilding interventions. She holds an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford and a BA in International Studies with honors from the University of California, Irvine.

PhD Year
2021
Thematic Interests

My research looks at the strategies and resources individuals and communities use to move beyond survival and resilience towards the pursuit of a good life and long-term decision-making in post-conflict settings. I ask how people find creative and active ways to gain a sense of control and normalcy in situations of violence and uncertainty?

Regions
Research Tags
Other Accomplishments & Recognitions

 

From the Field

Navigating a Precarious Life in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Aug 1, 2017

Thanks to the support of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies I was able to collect quantitative and qualitative data, helping to lay the foundation of my dissertation research. After analyzing the data, I intend to publish my results this year. In addition, I was also able to develop relationships with Congolese scholars at the Bilingual Christian University of Beni as well as the Free University of the Great Lakes, which will help to form future research and collaborations.