Scholars in Context: Nadia Al-Sakkaf
Jadaliyya's Scholars in Context series consists of Q&As in which scholars of the Middle East describe their research and the paths they took to arrive at it. The series provides a platform for these scholars to highlight the significance of their work, identify the audiences they seek to reach, and outline their future research trajectories, giving readers an in-depth look at the latest research in a given field.
Jadaliyya (J): What is the main focus of your current research, and how does it connect to or depart from your previous work?
Nadia Al-Sakkaf (NS): I am working currently on two different yet related themes: digital safety and women’s empowerment on one side and economic resilience and sustainable development on the other. While working on these two projects I am challenging myself to explore interdisciplinary topics such as digital economy for women, climate change and conflict, food security, and localized humanitarian assistance.
Although my main country of focus is Yemen, where I am from and where the vast majority of my research is based, I have expanded my scope to include other countries in the MENA region. For example, I carried out research on digital violence against women in Sudan, and am exploring a project on education modules designed in Palestine.
J: What particular topics, issues, and literature does it address?
NS: I am currently working on a MENA-wide research unpacking women’s experience of digital violence by supervising a team of researchers researching the context, harm, and solutions of domestic violence against women (DVAW) in over eighteen Arab countries. Throughout the MENA region, gender norms, power imbalances, and conflict dynamics shape the rights and opportunities available to women and girls. These complex realities also shape women’s access and use of new digital technologies—and their experience of digital violence as many turn to online space to surmount old barriers. The research aims to illuminate the severity and complexity of DVAW, and to unpack the circular influence between online and offline spaces.
The other project I am currently working on is exploring the potential threats and opportunities in the food security and climate change nexus in Yemen through a gendered lens, presenting policy recommendations towards improving lives in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Yemen is considered one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century, with over eighty percent of its population in need of assistance including five million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Over USD billion USD was spent in humanitarian aid to Yemen since 2015 yet half of the population still goes hungry. Simultaneously, the impacts of extreme weather phenomena exasperate food insecurity affecting vulnerable communities, especially persons displaced because of the conflict.
J: What brought you to this work? What was the source of inspiration?
NS: My early career was in development through my work with Oxfam in Yemen, where I learned about sustainable development, gender parities, and poverty reduction. The bulk of my career after that was in journalism—where I explored everything under the sky—but I particularly enjoyed interviews and investigative reports because I got to dig deeper and find the meanings behind words. Since 2011 I have been involved in political activism and democratic transitions, so naturally I started researching governance, electoral systems, and social movements. In 2014 I became the first female information minister in Yemen and I understood firsthand the importance of accurate and reliable research. In 2015 I immersed myself full time in academia when I started my PhD in political science, with my thesis on women empowerment policies in Yemen.
My background is so diverse that I find myself exploring various themes and finding interlinkages between my fields of expertise and new areas. It keeps me on my toes, and I love it.
J: What audiences would you like to reach, and what kind of impact would you like your research and writing to have?
NS: I find myself talking to the English language world for the most part because whether we like it or not, the West is leading when it comes to research and development even if it is about the Arab region.
But more importantly I want to add local voices to the dominating narrative by telling the stories of my people through their voices. We should own our narrative and not have others speak on our behalf. I believe that the world is willing to listen should we learn how to speak in its language.
I am also keen on bridging between various worlds and creating analogies and comparative studies, even when it may seem the two worlds we want to compare are so different. You could say that I love to test boundaries and challenge stereotypes.
J: What other projects are you working on now?
NS: Currently I am working on a research project about localizing aid in Yemen, Yemeni women and the banking system, food security, and sustainable energy in Yemen. I hope to explore new venues in other countries soon and am open to collaborations.
J: Your background combines both practical experience and academic work; how do you reconcile those two distinct worlds in your research?
NS: It actually gives me a huge insight into the connection between policy and practice. In this way, my research and policy recommendations are relevant as they are based on real life experience, supported with high quality research carried out with strong academic rigor. The blend of practical experience and academic knowledge allows me to create a bridge between the theoretical and the real-world aspects of various topics, and to have a deeper contextual understanding of my subject matter. I can grasp the nuances of real-world scenarios and understand the challenges and considerations that practitioners face on the ground. This enables me to provide contextually relevant insights when discussing academic theories or proposing policy recommendations. I can take academic theories and concepts and apply them to practical situations. Moreover, in the real world we cannot maintain the strict thematic divisions we apply in academia, as everything is connected. This is why I always find myself working with an interdisciplinary approach.
J: What is your advice for rising academics or those starting their career in policy?
NS: You have to get out of your comfort zone and try and work in the other side even if briefly. Academics need to work in practical jobs relevant to their area of research and professionals need to take time off and conduct some rigorous academic research to strengthen their grasp of their subject matter.