Congratulations Erika Forsberg on receiving funding from the Swedish Research Council

Var är de kvinnliga rebellerna? En systematisk studie av utmaningar för återintegrering i samhället när kriget tagit slut has been awarden funding funding from The Swedish Research Council. The project will run for three years starting in spring 2025.

Erika Forsberg, Department of Peace and Conflict Research has funding from the research programme Democracy and Higher Education during 2024-2025 under the worktitle The link between gender norms, democratic values and higher education: Exploring survey data from three states in India.

What do you plan to focus on in your research over the next few years?

Research shows that approximately 40% of all rebel groups worldwide include women in armed roles. But what happens to female rebels when the war ends? We know very little about this. In the project "The Fate of Female Fighters: A Comprehensive Analysis on Challenges to Reintegration," which has recently been funded by the Swedish Research Council, my colleague Karen Brounéus and I will investigate when and how female former rebels successfully reintegrate into society, and the challenges they face. These challenges may include mental health issues, difficulties in securing livelihoods, and societal stigma. The study will involve a statistical analysis of new data on rebel groups, focusing on factors related to the reintegration of female ex-combatants into society. This analysis will be complemented by an in-depth study of female ex-combatants in Nepal, using life history interviews and focus group discussions with former female fighters. These efforts will be conducted in collaboration with Prakash Bhattarai and the Center for Social Change in Nepal. By listening to these women, our aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that determine whether they reintegrate into society and the choices they face during this process.

What key insights from your work on the Democracy and Higher Education project do you consider particularly important to bring into, or further develop, in your own or others' future research?

My project within the research programme examines whether, and if so how, the link between higher education and democratic values is influenced by gender factors—both in terms of differences between women and men and variations among individuals with different types of gender equality values. This analysis is based on survey data collected in India as part of a Swedish Research Council (VR) project I previously led in collaboration with Louise Olsson at PRIO. The project is part of my broader research agenda on the gender dimensions of political violence and peacebuilding, which also informs my new VR-funded project. Although my new project differs significantly from my work in the research programme, I carry forward insights about the differing conditions for women and men, whether in access to higher education or the challenges of returning to civilian life after a war has ended.