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At this free Fulbright Seminar, 2014 Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellow 
Dr. Jody McBrien discusses the narratives of resilient women that she encountered editing Cold Water: Women and Girls of Lira, Uganda.
Dr McBrien is the primary editor of Cold Water: Women and Girls of Lira, Uganda. It is based on five years of annual travel to Lira, beginning two years after Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army retreated from Uganda after 20+ years of a brutal war. McBrien, and later her co-editor, Dr. Julia Byers, came to know remarkable women leaders there and worked in four schools that include many children who witnessed and survived the LRA war.
Dr McBrien will discuss narratives of the resilient women. Their stories include abduction by Kony’s rebels, searching for abducted children, building a school in the bush, creating a public mental health facility, and more. She will also delve into the complications of research design with a population that includes traumatized individuals. Additionally, she considers questions regarding White privileged women working within a Black African culture.
Dr McBrien and Dr Byers also include a chapter about using art therapy to support female youth affected by the war, which will also be discussed in the lecture. The book will be available for purchase at the lecture. ALL proceeds go to the Lira women writers and to girls’ scholarships in Lira.
About Dr Jody McBrien
Dr. Jody McBrien is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee campus. In 2014 she was one of three Ian Axford (NZ) Fellows in Public Policy, during which time she explored the recent New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Policy and its implications. The majority of her published articles and chapters examine issues of refugee resettlement and war-affected families.
Please arrive at 5.515pm for a 5.30pm start. Refreshments will be provided. Please click here to register.