Dr Leena Vastapuu is assistant professor and associate senior lecturer in the area of gender, peace and security at the Swedish Defence University (SEDU) in Stockholm. Her research concentrates on girl and women soldiers’ life trajectories in war and its aftermath, including DDR.
As a feminist researcher, Leena emphasizes research ethics in all aspects of her work, and has been among the first scholars to use auto-photography in peace and conflict research. Leena is the author of ‘Liberia’s Women Veterans: War, Roles and Reintegration’ (Zed Books 2018), and the recipient of the Raimo Väyrynen dissertation prize of 2019 for the best PhD dissertation in International Relations written in a Finnish university between 2016 and 2018.
In addition to academia, Leena has worked in the areas of development cooperation and consultancy (e.g. Plan International Finland and Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland). Before joining SEDU, she was the Planning and Reporting officer at the EU Civilian Crisis Management Mission in the Central African Republic, being a member of the core team setting up the mission.
To read more about Leena Vastapuu, kindly visit: https://www.fhs.se/sc/profile-page.html?identity=400.5ddcd7d717aa7ad81ebbe974
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Geographic focus:
Subject expertise:
- Armed conflict (causes, dynamics, prevention)
- Armed groups
- Children and DDR
- Prevention of (re-)recruitment/recidivism
- Reintegration
- Women, gender and DDR
- Youth and DDR
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