Team

Dr Janet Townsend

I’m a feminist concerned with issues of poverty, power, self-empowerment, sexuality, anti-trafficking and the (dangerous) power of academics, particularly those from prosperous countries.  In 2005 I won a UK prize for geographical research in Women and Development.  For many years, I worked with pioneer colonists in the rainforests of South America, particularly Colombia and Mexico. The women pioneers became enthusiastic about the work of non-government organizations (NGOs) which led me to seek to understand the extraordinary growth and dynamism of NGOs today. Now I’m working on the role of NGOs in supporting women to create post-trafficking livelihoods for themselves in Nepal.  I’m committed to publishing both in exacting journals and for a wider audience, and to returning research findings to my research subjects. I work and publish where possible with collaborators, in low income countries and in the UK.