Host Malek Lakhal speaks to Libyan activist and researcher Asma Khalifa. They talked about long-distance fieldwork, the difficulties inherent to conducting fieldwork in environments where war has torn the trust between people, and how to make sense of the counter-intuitive idea that war can be seen as an opportunity for women.
Asma is a non-resident fellow (2021-22) at the Arab Reform Initiative. Her work in Libya includes improving women’s participation in local government and addressing gender-based violence. She is currently a PhD candidate at the German Institute for Global Area Studies, researching the impact of civil war on inter-gender relations. Asma just published a research paper with ARI on what the conflict in Libya has changed in the lives of young people.