We are pleased to announce the addition of Dr Nena Mocnik to our community as a Visiting Scholar. Dr Mocnik is a distinguished ethnographer, writer, and community worker specializing in peace education, violence prevention, and sociotherapy. Originally from the former Yugoslavia, she currently works at Universitat Pompeu Fabra within the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration (GRITIM-UPF) and resides in Paris. She will join us from 2-9 September 2024.

Dr Mocnik’s scholarly journey is deeply rooted in her extensive experience with conflict-related gender-based violence, collective and intergenerational trauma, and innovative research methods that blend embodied and theatrical approaches. Her current participatory action research explores the digital landscape’s potential in providing reproductive health-related knowledge and community support for displaced refugee mothers.

Dr Mocnik is the author of two significant publications: War-related Sexual Violence and Trauma Transmission: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Settings (Routledge, 2020) and Sexuality after War Rape: From Narrative to Embodied Research (Routledge, 2017). Additionally, she is a research fellow at Euroclio – European Association of History Educators, where she collaborates on projects addressing difficult histories, managing collective trauma in classrooms, and promoting peace education within the context of history teaching.

During her time at AVReQ, Dr Mocnik will share her expertise through various workshops and lectures. One of her workshops, titled Vicarious Trauma and Burnout: Preparing for Challenging Field Research, introduces a model for sustainable holistic care practices tailored for researchers and students exposed to trauma during fieldwork. This workshop will involve interactive self-assessment activities and the development of practical strategies to prevent secondary or vicarious trauma.

In her lecture, Healing and Intergenerational Trauma after War-Related Sexual Violence, Dr Mocnik will present her ethnographic research on female survivors of war-related sexual violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, focusing on the perpetuation of trauma within families and exploring methods to break this cycle. Another lecture, (De)colonized Approaches in Humanitarian Care for Gender-Specific Trauma Among Refugee Women, critically analyses humanitarian interventions in Europe, with an emphasis on culturally sensitive issues like war rape and female genital mutilation. Finally, in her lecture titled Engaging with Historical Traumas: Experiential Learning and Pedagogies of Resilience, Nena will present Euroclio’s work on handling controversial historical topics, underscoring the importance of critical history education in promoting sustainable peace and resilience.

AVReQ is excited to welcome Dr Nena Mocnik to our community, and we look forward to the valuable insights and transformative knowledge she will undoubtedly bring to our ongoing work in peacebuilding and trauma education.