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This Summer, the Harriet Tubman Institute hosted two brilliant PhD scholars from the University of Mons in Belgium. Supervised by Dr. Gertrude Mianda, Professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies and former Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute, Rose Ukeci and Borauzima Feza Esther expanded their research journey with the Tubman community. We invite you to read their reflections.

Several intriguing elements brought me to the Harriet Tubman Institute. First, 91��ɫ's strong academic reputation and the quality of its research environment. Second, the Institute's focus on Africa and its diaspora closely aligns with my own research interests. Finally, I was particularly drawn to the Institute's vibrant community of scholars from diverse backgrounds, which creates valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration.

During my stay, I have primarily been working on my PhD dissertation, beginning with the theoretical chapters. I have also made extensive use of the collections and archival resources at Scott Library to strengthen the historical dimensions of my research, particularly those related to conflicts during the colonial period in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

What first drew me to this research was my desire to contribute to a decolonial approach to knowledge production—one that begins with the experiences, knowledge, and perspectives of local communities rather than imposing analytical frameworks developed elsewhere. I believe that these voices deserve to be recognized as sources of knowledge in their own right.

My research is also deeply personal because it takes place in my home province, even though I now live abroad. Seeing that my work is welcomed by local communities gives me the motivation to keep going. Knowing that they see value in this research reminds me why I started this journey.

I hoped to present my research to the Institute's community and engage in discussions with fellow scholars. Unfortunately, because of the summer period, this was not possible. However, I am pleased that we are planning to hold an online research presentation in October, and I look forward to exchanging ideas and receiving valuable feedback.

I would encourage early-career researchers or students entering my field to choose a research topic they genuinely care about. Research can be intellectually demanding and, at times, emotionally challenging. Having a subject that truly matters to you helps sustain your motivation and resilience throughout the journey.

I have really enjoyed spending time on campus, especially taking breaks with a bubble tea between work sessions. I also appreciated walking through the university's green spaces during the warm summer days, which provided a refreshing balance to my research. Finally, I had the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls, which was an unforgettable experience.

I was drawn to the Harriet Tubman Institute because it offers a unique interdisciplinary platform to advance my research on the agency of women engaged in armed groups in eastern DRC—an issue that remains largely invisible in dominant security and conflict studies. Its strong engagement with Afro- and Black feminist perspectives provides an essential space to connect my work to broader debates on power, gender, and African and diasporic experiences.

My interest in this research emerged progressively from both my academic training and my lived engagement with conflict-affected environments in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Initially trained in political and administrative sciences at the Université Officielle de Bukavu, I developed a strong grounding in the analysis of armed conflicts, with a particular attention to their historical trajectories, institutional dynamics, and everyday manifestations. This early exposure led me to approach conflict not as an abstract phenomenon, but as a lived and locally embedded reality shaped by power, governance, and social experience. Over time, my work expanded toward political ecology through my experience as a researcher at the Groupe d’Études sur les Conflits et la sécurité Humaine (GEC-SH) and a teaching assistant at the Université Officielle de Bukavu, where I became increasingly interested in how natural resources structure conflict dynamics. Through research and field engagement, I came to understand how resource governance, territorial control, and environmental exploitation are deeply intertwined with violence. A further turning point came with the integration of a gender perspective, particularly through my involvement in DDR programs and later my graduate studies in gender studies. This led me to question the persistent invisibilization of women and to rethink their roles beyond reductive victimhood narratives. What continues to sustain my passion today is precisely this intersection: the need to understand women’s agency as situated, ambivalent, and deeply embedded in socio-ecological and militarized environments.

I hope, above all, that this experience will allow me to build meaningful academic networks that can serve as a foundation for fruitful intellectual collaborations. The Harriet Tubman Institute provides a particularly rich environment for both human and scholarly exchanges, fostering dialogue, the sharing of ideas, and the refinement of scientific reflection. I also deeply value the working conditions offered here — the office space that was allocated to us during our stay. Having a space that allows one to pause, reflect, and fully dedicate time to writing is incredibly important. I’ve enjoyed spending quiet moments on campus, whether in Scott library or simply sitting in shared spaces. In research trajectories often shaped by urgency, such an environment creates the possibility to think more deeply, strengthen analysis, and engage more seriously with the writing process. Finally, I hope to leave with strong connections, renewed perspectives on my work, and collaborations that will continue to grow beyond the duration of my stay.

To early-career researchers or students entering my field, I would first say that it is essential to take the complexity of the field seriously, especially in conflict settings. This means recognizing that ready-made categories—such as victims, resisters, or agents—are often insufficient to capture lived realities. One must learn to listen to contradictions, silences, and ambivalences. Second, I would encourage young researchers to develop a strong methodological grounding, but without rigidity. Feminist and ethnographic approaches, for instance, help foreground power relations, positionality, and often-marginalized voices. At the same time, they require a high degree of reflexivity.

I would also emphasize the importance of patience. In this kind of research, data are not simply “collected”; they are built over time, through relationships of trust that are often fragile. Finally, I believe it is crucial to remain intellectually honest and emotionally aware. Working on violence, conflict, and precarity inevitably affects the researcher. It is important to acknowledge this, while maintaining analytical rigor. Above all, one should not lose sight of why this work matters: not to speak for others, but to make visible experiences and forms of agency that are often overlooked.