Social Media in Armed Conflict through a Gender Lens: The Case of Myanmar
Led by Julie Marie Hansen
Feb 2018 – Apr 2022
This doctoral research project focuses on the role of social media in armed conflict and peacebuilding from a gender perspective, looking closely at the case of Myanmar.
Specifically, the project aims to answer the questions: What is the role of social media in addressing conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence? Do social media help or hinder efforts to prevent and mitigate the impact of this kind of violence?
The PhD project at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo is part of the PRIO project 'Social Media in Armed Conflict: The Case of Myanmar', funded by the Research Council of Norway.
- Supervisor at PRIO: Inger Skjelsbæk
- Supervisor at the University of Oslo: Cristina Archetti
Julie Marie Hansen Presents Paper on the Use of Social Media and the Prevention of SGBV
Julie Marie Hansen, Doctoral Researcher at PRIO, presented a paper at
the international conference ‘Social Media in Armed Conflict’ on 25-26 November
2020.
PRIO Researcher Gives Talk on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict
On 2 August, Julie Marie Hansen gave a talk about sexual violence in armed conflict at KSAS, Humanity Institute in Myitkyina, Myanmar. Hansen introduced current theories on the causes and consequences of conflict-related sexual violence, and an overview of efforts to prevent and mitigate the impact of this type of violence.
New Blog on Women's Use of Facebook in Myanmar
With so much attention on the destructive role of Facebook in Myanmar, Doctoral Researcher Julie M. Hansen points out the constructive side of Facebook by bringing in examples of how women in Myanmar use of the social media platform. She writes:
"The
spread of hate speech and misinformation online that incites real-life violence
are serious issues that deserve the media attention they have received, and the
tech community must prioritise finding a solution. Yet, for a fuller
understanding of the role of Facebook – which has become such a dominant tool in
Myanmar for information and communication that is almost synonymous with the
internet – we should also recognise the platform’s constructive side. And this becomes apparent when we look at how
the social media platform is used by women."
New Project to Study Social Media, Armed Conflict and Gender in Myanmar
From early 2018, Julie Marie Hansen will start a three-year doctoral research project studying the gendered impacts of social media on armed conflict and peacebuilding in Myanmar.
