As a celebration of our alumni, each month we will highlight a new book written by one of
Oxford's alumni.
Our April 2024 book is "Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics"
by Katherine Mann (St Antony's, 2017).
Katherine Mann’s new book Aiding Empowerment, co-authored with Saskia Brechenmacher and published Oxford University Press, documents how international democracy support for gender equality in politics has evolved over the last thirty years and how effective these programs have been. Drawing on research in Kenya, Nepal, Morocco, and Myanmar, the authors examine the varied methods aid providers use to challenge patriarchal political structures and support local reformers, identify persisting challenges and promising innovations, and make practical recommendations for reform.
Katherine is a PhD candidate and Cambridge Trust Scholar at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Politics and International Studies, though she is based in New York City. Her doctoral research examines the link between internal armed group dynamics and patterns of gender-based violence in Colombia’s civil war. In a second line of research, she focuses on issues related to gender, democratic politics, and international development. She is also a Junior Fellow at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and teaches undergraduate courses related to peace and conflict, as well as politics and gender.
Before joining Cambridge, Katherine was a policy researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. She has also held positions as a Visiting Researcher at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, a Managing Editor for the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (CRIA), and an editor for the St Antony’s International Review (STAIR). She has worked with several NGOs to reduce group-targeted political violence and promote civic activism. Katherine holds an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford (St Antony’s College) and BAs in International Affairs and Political Science from the University of Georgia (Honors College). Her analysis has been published in Foreign Policy, Just Security, and other outlets.
You can purchase "Aiding Empowerment" here.
Are you an alumni author?
If you have written a book which was published within the last three years, or is due to be released soon, please email us the following information.
Your full name
A high-quality headshot
A short bio
Alumni number (or college/year of matriculation)
Title of book
Date of publication
ISBN
Link to purchase the book online
We thank you for sharing your books with us, and will let you know if you are selected for a feature in the coming months.
Please visit our archive page to look back at previous Alumni Authors