Josephine Ahikire is Professor of Gender Studies and Principal at the College of Humanities, Makerere University and Honorary Professor at the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy (CANRAD), Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She has over 20 years’ experience of teaching Women and Gender Studies, in the fields of feminist theory, gender and politics, livelihood, and cultural studies. Josephine has extensive experience in feminist research and has published widely on gender and politics, labour, and cultural studies. Recent publications include the co-edited books Historicizing Humanities at Makerere: Trends, Patterns and Prospects (2022, Fountain Publishers) and Controlling Consent: Uganda’s 2016 Elections (2017, Africa World Press).
Adeepto Intisar Ahmed is an Assistant Research Coordinator, Centre for Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has experience in in-depth qualitative research and policy analysis, with a background in development studies and economics. He was previously engaged in evaluations of projects by BRAC SDP (skills development programme) and BRAC EP (education programme), an International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-funded project piloting an app-based maternal health intervention in selected Rohingya camps and host communities in Cox’s Bazar; and a Dutch government-funded research project on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh.
Fatima Antar is a Gender Studies Instructor at the Lebanese American University. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. Her transdisciplinary research focuses on critical embodiment studies, the sociology of health and illness, feminist bioethics, and food studies.
Heloisa Bandeira is a PhD student of the Postgraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies on Women, Gender and Feminism, Federal University of Bahia (PPGNEIM-UFBA), Brazil. She has an MA in Social Work from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and graduated in social work from the State University of Ceará (UECE). Heloisa is a social worker at the Pernambuco Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology (IFPE), a researcher in the group Gender, Power and Public Policies of PPGNEIM-UFBA, and a researcher on the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme coordinated by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). She is interested in gender, sexuality, and politics.
Luire Campelo is a master’s degree student on the Postgraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies on Women, Gender and Feminism (PPGNEIM-UFBA). She graduated in journalism from Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Brazil. Luire is currently part of the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme coordinated by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and carried out in Brazil by the Núcleo de Estudos Interdisciplinares sobre a Mulher (NEIM) [Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Women] at UFBA. She is interested in topics related to democracy, public policies, feminism, and social movements.
Shraddha Chigateri is an independent feminist researcher working on women’s rights and gender justice in the Asia-Pacific region, with a specific focus on India. Her areas of research interest include women’s paid and unpaid work, and feminist mobilisations and claims-making on women’s rights. Previously, Shraddha worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Studies Trust, New Delhi, India. She currently works as a consultant with Gender at Work Consulting Ltd, under the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme.
Sana Contractor is a public health researcher based in India. Her work over the past 15 years has been on studying the intersections of violence, identity, and gender. She is currently a PhD student at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Camila Daltro is a master’s degree student on the Postgraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies on Women, Gender and Feminism, Federal University of Bahia (PPGNEIM-UFBA), Brazil. They graduated in psychology from Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB). Camila is a researcher on the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme in Brazil. Their current research includes backlash and counter-backlash on gender issues in Brazil and gender non-conforming as a social monstrosity. Camila has three published book chapters on their research and experience in psychology. Their research interests include psychology, gender and sexualities, queer theory, and queer of colour.
Abhijit Das is Managing Trustee and Research Advisor at the Centre for Health and Social Justice, New Delhi, India and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He is a public health physician with research interests in gender and masculinities, reproductive health, health and human rights, and health governance. Previously, he was Co-Founder and Co‑Chair of MenEngage Global Alliance and Co-Founder and Global Convenor of COPASAH, a community of practitioners on social accountability in health.
Jashodhara Dasgupta is an independent researcher based in India with over 30 years’ experience as a policy advocate, community activist, and researcher on gender, public health, social policy, and rights-based approaches. Jashodhara has helped set up four feminist organisations and nurtured national and international civil society networks on sexual and reproductive rights. She has supported grass-roots women’s leadership through her work with SAHAYOG, a gender and rights organisation, and is associated with the Feminist Policy Collective in India. Jashodhara has served on numerous academic and public policy committees, including the Lancet–University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health.
Jerker Edström is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) who leads the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). His career has focused on gender, masculinities, and patriarchy, sexual and gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, including HIV and AIDS. He has led other IDS programmes, such as Gender, Power and Sexuality (Sida funded), Engendering Men/EMERGE (DFID/UK Aid funded), and Masculinities and Transition (EBRD funded). He has co-edited volumes including Men and Development: Politicizing Masculinities (2011, Zed Books) and IDS Bulletin 45.1, ‘Undressing Patriarchy: Men and Structural Violence’ (2014).
Jenny Edwards is project manager for the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). She has over 15 years’ experience of project management, particularly on gender-related projects, including as project manager for the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) and the Pathways of Women’s Empowerment research programmes. Her publications include co-editing IDS Bulletin 51.2, ‘Collective Action for Accountability on Sexual Harassment: Global Perspectives’ (2020, with Mariz Tadros), and (with Andrea Cornwall), IDS Bulletin 46.4, ‘Beijing+20: Where Now for Gender Equality?’ (2015), IDS Bulletin 41.2, ‘Negotiating Empowerment’ (2010), and Feminisms, Empowerment and Development: Changing Women’s Lives (2014, Zed Books).
Nay El Rahi is an intersectional feminist writer, researcher, and political activist. Since 2008, she has been working at multiple intersections, particularly advocacy, storytelling, and knowledge production, using research as a pathway to create more responsive and grounded advocacy for gender justice. She is the lead researcher at the Arab Institute for Women (AIW), Lebanese American University (LAU), on the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme. She has previously worked in international development with Oxfam in Lebanon and Tunisia and taught gender and media at LAU. In 2016, she co-founded HarassTracker, an online platform that enables anonymous reporting of sexual harassment in the country.
Talita Melgaço Fernandes is a PhD candidate of the Postgraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies on Women, Gender and Feminism, Federal University of Bahia (PPGNEIM-UFBA), Brazil. She has an MA in Political Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Talita is also a researcher at the Center for Studies and Research on Women, Gender, Health and Nursing (GEM) at UFBA and the Center for Studies and Research on Women (NEPEM) at UFMG.
Israr Hasan is currently working as a Research Associate at the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Israr works in the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme under the Centre of Excellence for Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (CGSRHR). His work as a qualitative researcher focuses on gender, digital rights, health, and sexuality. Israr completed his undergraduate degree from BRAC University with a major in economics and a minor in anthropology.
Ishrat Jahan is a Research Associate at the Centre for Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health at the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has a background in cultural anthropology and climate change development. Ishrat has experience in conducting and coordinating qualitative research projects focusing on gender politics, women’s health and well-being in urban slums, and climate change developmental issues in coastal rural communities.
Sudarsana Kundu is a specialist in gender and development, with more than 20 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors. Her primary research focus involves analysing institutions from a gender and inclusion perspective. She is highly committed to leadership and organisational development and has provided guidance to numerous organisations, including several UN agencies, to evaluate and assess the impact of their workplace policies, practices, and culture on gender equality. Sudarsana is currently Research and Project Director, Gender at Work Consulting Ltd.
Tessa Lewin is a Research Fellow in the Participation, Inclusion and Social Change cluster at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), where she teaches on the MA in Gender and Development and works on Rejuvenate, a ‘living archive’ on child rights and participation, and the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme. She lectures on sexuality and gender, unruly politics and aesthetics, and creative and reflective practice. Her research interests include participatory and creative methods, (visual) activism, child/youth rights, gender, and sexuality.
Pragyna Mahpara is a Senior Research Associate in the Gender and Social Transformation Cluster at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has been working with the institute since 2018, studying Bangladesh’s gender justice and power struggle issues. Her research specialisation includes looking at violence against women, women’s leadership, the women’s movement, gender equity policy implementation, and backlash to women’s rights in Bangladesh. Currently, her work focuses on analysing new avenues such as the digital space that intensifies backlash against gender justice and diversity.
Alfred Makonjio Makabira is a seasoned community engagement expert with 18 years’ experience in programme planning and implementation aimed at transforming discriminative societal norms, attitudes, and practice. His work entails the conceptualisation and design of development-related programmes with a keen interest in gender and social justice. Alfred is Program Officer, Advocates for Social Change Kenya (ADSOCK).
Maíra Kubík Mano is a Professor of feminist theory at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. She holds a PhD from Campinas State University (UNICAMP) and is the author of Atuar como mulheres – um olhar sobre a política institucional [Acting as Women: A Look at Institutional Policy] (2020, Appris).
Rosie McGee is an interdisciplinary social scientist trained in Development Studies and co-leader of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Power and Popular Politics research cluster. Her work focuses on accountability, transparency, and openness in governance; the use of technologies in governance; power relations and citizen engagement, including in contexts of fragility and violence; and the role of critical reflective learning in social and organisational change. She is co-leader of the ‘Policy and Practice’ workstrand for the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme. Her recent publications include ‘The Governance Shock Doctrine: Civic Space in the Pandemic’ (Development Policy Review 41.S1: e12678).
Maitrayee Mukhopadhyay holds a PhD and is a social anthropologist and feminist and among the first generation of gender trainers, researchers, and advocates. Based at KIT (Royal Tropical Institute) Amsterdam for 20 years, she led KIT Gender, undertaking research, advisory work, teaching, and training. Previously, she was Visiting Professor and Research Associate at the Graduate Studies Institute, Geneva. An associate at KIT, after retirement, she has directed the international short course, the Professional Development Programme for Gender Trainers for the last four years. Among her publications is the edited work Feminist Subversion and Complicity (2016, Zubaan Academic) which shows how gender became a governmental category in international development.
Amon Ashaba Mwiine is a Lecturer in the School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University, Uganda, where he teaches on Men’s Studies: Masculinities and Development, Gender and Sexuality, and Feminist Theory. He holds a PhD in Sociology from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Amon’s research interests include critical studies of men and masculinity; ethnographic and narrative forms of qualitative research; and gender and politics. His recent publications include ‘Tracking the Trajectory of Feminist Advocacy in Uganda: How Has Theory Informed the Practice of Advocacy?’ (Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equality 36.3: 66–76).
Sharin Shajahan Naomi is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Krea University, Sri City, India. She holds a PhD from Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, as well as an MA in Human Rights from the Centre for Human Rights Education, Curtin University, Perth. Previously, she worked as Assistant Professor of Gender Studies, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh where she was head of the core programme for a year. Sharin has more than ten years’ research experience in social and legal issues, and gender and human rights, including her association with the Research and Evaluation division of BRAC and the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sohela Nazneen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), based in the Governance cluster, and leads IDS’ work on gender, politics, and governance. She leads the ‘Voice’ workstrand for the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme. Sohela’s research focuses on gendered policy processes, feminist movements, women’s empowerment, and gender-based violence (GBV) in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. She has published widely on these issues including in World Development, Contemporary South Asia, and Development Policy Review. Sohela has worked as a consultant for UN Women, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Macarthur Foundation, and other agencies.
Phil Erick Otieno is a human rights activist, trainer, mentor, and assertiveness and boundaries-setting instructor. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Advocates for Social Change Kenya (ADSOCK), and sits in the UN Women Reference Group for East and Southern Africa Region on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. Phil constantly engages in social justice and development-related issues. His work focuses on cultivating a new consciousness and promotion of egalitarian, non-abusive models of masculinities, with the aim of improving the lives of women, men, and children and contributing to a more just society.
Sabina Faiz Rashid is Professor and Mustaque Chowdhury Chair of Health and Poverty at the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Director for its Centre of Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health. She is the project lead of the team for the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme at JPGSPH. Sabina serves on several national and global boards and committees to influence policies and programmes. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender, health, and poverty. She has been awarded research and capacity-building grants from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre, amongst others.
Teresa Sacchet is a Professor on the Postgraduate Program in Interdisciplinary Studies on Women, Gender and Feminism, Federal University of Bahia (PPGNEIM-UFBA), Brazil and an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo, Brazil. She has a PhD in Government from the University of Essex, Colchester, UK. She specialises in topics related to feminism, democratic theories, political institutions, political parties, and public policies, with a focus on gender and racial issues.
Cecília Sardenberg is a Brazilian feminist with a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University, Boston, USA. She is a Professor of Anthropology and a researcher in the Núcleo de Estudos Interdisciplinares sobre a Mulher (NEIM) [Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Women] at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil, acting, at present, as Editor of Revista Feminismos. She is a member of NEIM’s coordinating group in the Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice programme.
Satish Kumar Singh is Senior Advisor at the Centre for Health and Social Justice, New Delhi, India. He has been working on social justice issues for more than 35 years and on the issues of gender equality, masculinity, sexuality, and gender-based violence. Satish is well known both locally and globally for his work with men and boys for gender equality.
Chloe Skinner is a Fellow in the Power and Popular Politics research cluster at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), specialising in intersectional feminist and queer theory and activism, anti-gender backlash, coloniality, and resistance. Recent publications include ‘ “The Spatial Void Could be a Chance to Recreate”: Queer Visual Activism in the Fallout of the Beirut Blast’ (Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 2023), and ‘Patriarchal (Dis)orders: Backlash as Crisis Management’ (Signs, 2024 with Jerker Edström and Alan Greig). She has a forthcoming book due to be published in 2024 with Cambridge University Press entitled ‘Occupier and Occupied: Israel, Palestine and Masculinities across the Divide’.
Maheen Sultan is Senior Fellow of Practice and Head, Gender and Social Transformation Cluster at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, Dhaka, Bangladesh, which focuses on research, teaching, and policy related to gender and social transformation. She is a development practitioner with over 25 years’ experience in social development, poverty, civil society and community participation, and gender equality. Maheen is a women’s rights activist and a member of Naripokkho, a Bangladeshi women’s rights organisation. She is involved in research on movements to counter backlash against gender equality, including movements for women’s labour rights, rape law reform, and stopping child marriage.