In discussion: Alice Finden
BISA is run by a board of trustees who make up our Executive Committee. They have expertise and interests that represent the main areas of our activity and a breadth of experience from the wider world. We hope this interview series will help you get to know them a little better. This time it's the turn of Dr Alice Finden who is based at Durham University.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from.
I am originally from Newcastle Upon Tyne and have found myself back up in the North East (at Durham as an Assistant Professor of International Politics) after several years in London. I spent quite a while in the capital, working in different sectors including for an abortion rights NGO, as a support worker, for Hackney Migrant Centre and as a visa agent! I completed my Masters and PhD at SOAS, University of London, with a running focus on Gender Studies and feminism which is the thread that knits together the work I do. I was so fortunate to find such an amazing community at SOAS, people who are activists through and through, who keep fighting to make the world a more just place. I learnt so much in these years and it truly shaped who I am today and how I think about the university's ethical role in the world. I think as academics we have a responsibility to ensure our work is just, meaningful and needed. I am now back up North and it's great to be back! I missed our big skies, awesome coasts and Geordie spirit.
2. Why did you want to be a BISA trustee?
I wanted to be a BISA trustee because I believe in the organisation as providing a space for critical thought, academic freedom and community building, especially on issues so close to many of us. BISA members take initiative to organise themselves around issues they care about. We have seen such organising around Palestine, Ukraine and Iran among other issues over the past few years. In a moment of increasing repression of freedoms of expression in the UK I think it is vital that we protect BISA as a space where we can continue to have these discussions.
3. What is your area of research and how did you get into it? What are you currently working on?
Broadly my research looks into how the state production of enemies is tied to longer colonial, racialised and gendered frames of the human. I have done this through examining the colonial histories and presents of counter terrorism in my recent book Counterterrorism and Colonialism: Everyday Violence in Britain and Egypt where I interrogated the production of ‘extremist’ communities in Britain and Egypt and the forms of violence this legitimises.
4. You previously convened the Critical Studies on Terrorism Working Group (CST) for BISA. What are the benefits of being part of a working group – both as a member and a convener?
Being a member of the CST network was vital in me finding my feet in academia. CST is a wonderfully supportive and friendly group of people and I immediately felt welcomed when I joined towards the end of my PhD. I think these networks are great for everyone but particularly so for early-career researchers and PhD students, as they provide support and guidance on everything from academic writing through to careers and surviving academia! During my time as a convener I was extremely lucky to work with co-conveners Amna Kaleem, Rabea Khan, Marine Guéguin, Richard McNeil-Willson and Tom Pettinger who became my friends. I was proud that as a working group we were able to organise so much around Palestine, including putting together a roundtable publication, a Special Issue, and a number of events.
5. Is there anything else we should know about you?
I'll expose myself as a folk music enthusiast! I play fiddle and have perhaps one of the most niche hobbies - rapper sword dancing (a truly Geordie folk dance). I think I can blame my return to the North East as this is when I discovered my true passion for dancing in pubs with a set of bendy swords.