Nyasha Karimakwenda, Ph.D., is an associate research scientist in the Justice and Gender-Based Violence Research Initiative at the Wellesley Centers for Women. Through an explicitly feminist and interdisciplinary lens, she examines gender-based violence in various African contexts, mechanisms for mitigating such violence, and best practices for supporting survivors.
She holds over a decade of experience in implementing and leading research and advocacy projects in collaboration with academic, nonprofit, and public sector entities in Africa and the African diaspora. Her research interests include: gender-based violence with an emphasis on violence against women and girls, and sexual orientation and gender identity minorities; African customary marriage practices, including the intersection between marriage practices and sexual violence; power dynamics within families; histories of racial and gender exclusion; women’s experiences of help-seeking through formal and informal institutions; and feminist community activism.
