The Sex, Research & Resistance Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode is produced in collaboration with the Sex, Research and Resistance Podcast and ⁠the Centre for Study of Global Development⁠ at the Open University.

Martha Nicholson (facilitator), Dr Joyce Wamoyi, Dr Kevin Deane, and Professor Peter Keogh discuss research on the social determinants of sexual and reproductive health. Drawing from different disciplines, research contexts and institutions, we explore how sexual and reproductive health is managed and negotiated in the context of structural inequality and complex social worlds. Research shows that where we live, the education and work opportunities we have access to and the gender norms we grow up with may all shape people's ability to negotiate risks and manage a disease like HIV.

In part 2, we explore the social determinants that may make someone more likely to engage in risky behaviours and contract a sexually transmitted disease. Peter, Joyce and Kevin present solutions to the challenges of research on social determinants. We end part 2 of this episode with proposals for a bold and multidisciplinary research agenda for the future.

Bios

Joyce Wamoyi: Social and Behavioural researcher at the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania. Joyce has an MSc in community health and a PhD in social and Behavioural Sciences. For over 20 years, Dr. Wamoyi has worked on: Adolescents and Young people’s Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) behaviour; Structural drivers of SRH risk; HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment; Parenting/ families and child outcomes; stigma and discrimination in access to SRH services; and qualitative and participatory research methods. In her work, she has explored the dynamics of transactional sex in adolescents and young women's sexual relationships in sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently working on the evaluation of the quality of implementation for the scale up of the Parenting for Lifelong Health programme in Tanzania. She is a member of the WHO Behavioural Insights Technical Advisory Group and UNICEF Advisory Board for a multi-country project.

Peter Keogh: Professor of Health and Society at the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at the Open University. Peter’s background is in community-based research and knowledge co-creation in the areas of HIV, LGBT+ health and rights and reproductive justice. Peter’s research focuses on the role of intimacy, embodiment, affect and materiality in people’s experiences of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. He engages critically with contemporary SRHR epistemologies drawing on biomedicalization, post-colonial and Marxist theory. Peter is involved in many projects which involve the co-creation of useful and applied knowledges with, by and for key communities.

Kevin Deane: Senior Lecturer and interdisciplinary specialist in Economics, Political Economy and International Development. Research interests focus on the political economy of health with an application to the HIV epidemic in Eastern and Southern Africa. Kevin has worked on a range of topics related to HIV including gender, migration, workplace programmes, HIV testing and the relationship between socio-economic status and HIV. He is also interested in the political and social determinants of malaria. Kevin is primarily a qualitative researcher with experience of conducting fieldwork in East Africa.

Martha Nicholson (facilitator): PhD Student in the Reproduction, Sexualities and Sexual Health research group at the Open University in the UK. Current research is a feminist ethnography on how nurses and midwives learn about abortion care in Northern Ireland. Working with a group of nurses and midwives, Martha is mapping out how abortion knowledge is produced, and how centres of learning and work may distort, silence and challenge access to that knowledge through dialogues, processes, and organisational texts.

This episode is produced in collaboration with the Sex, Research and Resistance Podcast and the Centre for Study of Global Development at the Open University. 

Martha Nicholson (facilitator), Dr Joyce Wamoyi, Dr Kevin Deane, and Professor Peter Keogh discuss research on the social determinants of sexual and reproductive health. Drawing from different disciplines, research contexts and institutions, we explore how sexual and reproductive health is managed and negotiated in the context of structural inequality and complex social worlds. Research shows that where we live, the education and work opportunities we have access to and the gender norms we grow up with may all shape people's ability to negotiate risks and manage a disease like HIV.

In part 1, we critique the WHO definition of the social determinants of health, drawing from examples to show the importance of including social determinants in research on sexual and reproductive health. They share experiences of researching HIV in the UK and Tanzania and discuss how the disease has evolved from an ‘individual’ to a ‘social’ issue, relevant to social scientists as much as medical professionals.

Bios

Joyce Wamoyi: Social and Behavioural researcher at the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania. Joyce has an MSc in community health and a PhD in social and Behavioural Sciences. For over 20 years, Dr. Wamoyi has worked on: Adolescents and Young people’s Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) behaviour; Structural drivers of SRH risk; HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment; Parenting/ families and child outcomes; stigma and discrimination in access to SRH services; and qualitative and participatory research methods. In her work, she has explored the dynamics of transactional sex in adolescents and young women's sexual relationships in sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently working on the evaluation of the quality of implementation for the scale up of the Parenting for Lifelong Health programme in Tanzania. She is a member of the WHO Behavioural Insights Technical Advisory Group and UNICEF Advisory Board for a multi-country project.

Peter Keogh: Professor of Health and Society at the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at the Open University. Peter’s background is in community-based research and knowledge co-creation in the areas of HIV, LGBT+ health and rights and reproductive justice. Peter’s research focuses on the role of intimacy, embodiment, affect and materiality in people’s experiences of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. He engages critically with contemporary SRHR epistemologies drawing on biomedicalization, post-colonial and Marxist theory. Peter is involved in many projects which involve the co-creation of useful and applied knowledges with, by and for key communities.

Kevin Deane: Senior Lecturer and interdisciplinary specialist in Economics, Political Economy and International Development. Research interests focus on the political economy of health with an application to the HIV epidemic in Eastern and Southern Africa. Kevin has worked on a range of topics related to HIV including gender, migration, workplace programmes, HIV testing and the relationship between socio-economic status and HIV. He is also interested in the political and social determinants of malaria. Kevin is primarily a qualitative researcher with experience of conducting fieldwork in East Africa.

Martha Nicholson (facilitator): PhD Student in the Reproduction, Sexualities and Sexual Health research group at the Open University in the UK. Current research is a feminist ethnography on how nurses and midwives learn about abortion care in Northern Ireland. Working with a group of nurses and midwives, Martha is mapping out how abortion knowledge is produced, and how centres of learning and work may distort, silence and challenge access to that knowledge through dialogues, processes, and organisational texts.

In this ThinkBites episode, Dr Rebecca Jones is in conversation with Dr Helen Bowes-Catton and Dr Sarah Jen about researching bisexuality and queerness across generations.  

In part 1, Rebecca, Helen, and Sarah explore how meaning around identities, behaviours and attractions are made among bisexual and queer communities. Reflecting on the liminalities of age, they bring our attention to the richness of bisexual and queer identities and foreground the need to reflect this in our research.  

In part 2, Rebecca, Helen, and Sarah offer their experiences as life course researchers and speak to some of their approaches and methods connecting with bisexual and queer communities. In this episode, you’ll hear about the realm of possibilities that emerge from cornucopias of craft materials, visual maps, life history reviews and love letters. Tune in to hear about their visions for future research and an exciting opportunity to contribute to the new Routledge book of bisexuality too!  

Bios:  

Dr Rebecca Jones (she/her) @remembermyhat (X/Bluesky) - is a Senior Lecturer in Health at The Open University, UK. She researches and teaches about sexuality across the life course and reimagining ageing in more inclusive ways. She specialises in the ageing of LGBTQ+ people and is particularly known for her work on bisexuality and ageing.  

Dr Helen Bowes-Catton @helenbowescatton (X) (she/her)- is a Lecturer in Social Research Methods at The Open University, UK. She researches lived experiences of subjectivity and space in a variety of contexts, and is currently co-editing The Routledge International Handbook of Bisexuality, for which she is seeking further submissions-  https://helenbowescatton.com/2023/09/30/second-call-for-chapter-proposals-routledge-international-handbook-of-bisexuality/  

Dr Sarah Jen (she/her) - Sarah is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Work. Her research applies mainly qualitative and creative methods to examine the experiences of bisexual individuals in mid- to later life.  

This episode was produced by Elizabeth Ascroft (she/her).

In this ThinkBites episode, Dr Rebecca Jones is in conversation with Dr Helen Bowes-Catton and Dr Sarah Jen about researching bisexuality and queerness across generations.  

In part 1, Rebecca, Helen, and Sarah explore how meaning around identities, behaviours and attractions are made among bisexual and queer communities. Reflecting on the liminalities of age, they bring our attention to the richness of bisexual and queer identities and foreground the need to reflect this in our research.  

In part 2, Rebecca, Helen, and Sarah offer their experiences as life course researchers and speak to some of their approaches and methods connecting with bisexual and queer communities. In this episode, you’ll hear about the realm of possibilities that emerge from cornucopias of craft materials, visual maps, life history reviews and love letters. Tune in to hear about their visions for future research and an exciting opportunity to contribute to the new Routledge book of bisexuality too!  

Bios:  

  Dr Rebecca Jones (she/her) @remembermyhat (X/Bluesky) - is a Senior Lecturer in Health at The Open University, UK. She researches and teaches about sexuality across the life course and reimagining ageing in more inclusive ways. She specialises in the ageing of LGBTQ+ people and is particularly known for her work on bisexuality and ageing.  

Dr Helen Bowes-Catton @helenbowescatton (X) (she/her)- is a Lecturer in Social Research Methods at The Open University, UK. She researches lived experiences of subjectivity and space in a variety of contexts, and is currently co-editing The Routledge International Handbook of Bisexuality, for which she is seeking further submissions-  https://helenbowescatton.com/2023/09/30/second-call-for-chapter-proposals-routledge-international-handbook-of-bisexuality/  

Dr Sarah Jen (she/her) - Sarah is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Work. Her research applies mainly qualitative and creative methods to examine the experiences of bisexual individuals in mid- to later life.  

This episode was produced by Elizabeth Ascroft (she/her).

In this second ThinkBites episode, Dr. Aaron Mvula and Dr. Ayomide Oluseye are in conversation with (host) Elise Denis-Ramirez about their PhD research on early parenthood in Nigeria and Zambia. Aaron and Ayomide both used creative methods to explore early parenthood. This episode is an honest reflection about the inspiration, joy, and the difficult decisions they had to make along their creative PhD research journey.  

In Part 1, Aaron and Ayomide reflect on how questioning gender norms and morals influenced their decision to focus on early parenthood. They discuss how to navigate both being an “insider” and “outsider” in their research contexts, while exploring power dynamics and finding creative ways for the research participants to bring their full selves into the research. In Part 2, they continue the conversation around creative research through a practical reflection around the challenges of using photo elicitation and how to navigate ethical concerns during the research process. They end Part 2 with an inspiring reflection on their findings on challenging negative understandings of early parenthood.

Bios

Aaron Mvula recently completed his PhD at the Open University. His PhD research focused on young fatherhood, exploring lived experiences of unmarried fathers in rural Zambia.

Ayomide Oluseye is a Nigerian postdoctoral fellow at The Open University and her PhD explored the lived experiences of pregnancy and motherhood among unmarried young mothers in rural Nigeria.

Elise Denis-Ramirez is a Danish/Chilean feminist researcher. Her PhD research at the Open University is exploring abortion, reproduction and sexuality during adolescence in Chile. Elise is driven by participatory research that is creative, gender transformative and intersectional.

This episode was produced by Elise Denis-Ramirez.

In this second ThinkBites episode, Dr. Aaron Mvula and Dr. Ayomide Oluseye are in conversation with (host) Elise Denis-Ramirez about their PhD research on early parenthood in Nigeria and Zambia. Aaron and Ayomide both used creative methods to explore early parenthood. This episode is an honest reflection about the inspiration, joy, and the difficult decisions they had to make along their creative PhD research journey.  

In Part 1, Aaron and Ayomide reflect on how questioning gender norms and morals influenced their decision to focus on early parenthood. They discuss how to navigate both being an “insider” and “outsider” in their research contexts, while exploring power dynamics and finding creative ways for the research participants to bring their full selves into the research. In Part 2, they continue the conversation around creative research through a practical reflection around the challenges of using photo elicitation and how to navigate ethical concerns during the research process. They end Part 2 with an inspiring reflection on their findings on challenging negative understandings of early parenthood.

Bios

Aaron Mvula recently completed his PhD at the Open University. His PhD research focused on young fatherhood, exploring lived experiences of unmarried fathers in rural Zambia.

Ayomide Oluseye is a Nigerian postdoctoral fellow at The Open University and her PhD explored the lived experiences of pregnancy and motherhood among unmarried young mothers in rural Nigeria.

Elise Denis-Ramirez is a Danish/Chilean feminist researcher. Her PhD research at the Open University is exploring abortion, reproduction and sexuality during adolescence in Chile. Elise is driven by participatory research that is creative, gender transformative and intersectional.

This episode was produced by Elise Denis-Ramirez.

In this two-part ThinkBites episode, Elizabeth Ascroft and Elise Denis-Ramirez reflect on their PhD research working with young people in the field of sexual reproductive health and rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. This episode captures their ongoing conversations around curating and facilitating spaces for creative, participatory, and action-based research.  

In part 1, they ask each other questions about making connections with participants, how it felt the morning of their first workshop and their standout moments. In part 2, the two reflect the tensions around ethics and collective knowledge production and what this means for practice. They wrap up with some of their top tips for those looking to enhance their practice working with young people. 

This episode offers food for thought on power and creativity in action-based approaches and is a thoughtful resource for all those interested in participatory research. 

Bios: 

Elizabeth Ascroft is a PhD student at Open University in the UK and her research explores the process of co-creating sexuality education materials with young people in Aruba. Elizabeth is a researcher, activist and a creative and is most inspired when delving into her never-ending creative methods.  

Elise Denis-Ramirez is a Danish/Chilean feminist researcher. Her PhD research at the Open University is exploring abortion, reproduction and sexuality during adolescence in Chile. Elise is driven by participatory research that is creative, gender transformative and intersectional.

This episode was produced by Elizabeth Ascroft.

In this two-part ThinkBites episode, Elizabeth Ascroft and Elise Denis-Ramirez reflect on their PhD research working with young people in the field of sexual reproductive health and rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. This episode captures their ongoing conversations around curating and facilitating spaces for creative, participatory, and action-based research.  

In part 1, they ask each other questions about making connections with participants, how it felt the morning of their first workshop and their standout moments. In part 2, the two reflect the tensions around ethics and collective knowledge production and what this means for practice. They wrap up with some of their top tips for those looking to enhance their practice working with young people. 

This episode offers food for thought on power and creativity in action-based approaches and is a thoughtful resource for all those interested in participatory research.  

Bios: 

Elizabeth Ascroft is a PhD student at Open University in the UK and her research explores the process of co-creating sexuality education materials with young people in Aruba. Elizabeth is a researcher, activist and a creative and is most inspired when delving into her never-ending creative methods.  

Elise Denis-Ramirez is a Danish/Chilean feminist researcher. Her PhD research at the Open University is exploring abortion, reproduction and sexuality during adolescence in Chile. Elise is driven by participatory research that is creative, gender transformative and intersectional.

This episode was produced by Elizabeth Ascroft.

We are launching our new series ThinkBites!

In this episode, speakers Edem Ntumy (Reproductive Justice Initiative), Professor Emeritus Patricia Maguire (Feminist Trailblazers & Good Troublemakers Podcast), Dr Camilla Fitzsimons (Maynooth University) and host Elise Denis-Ramirez (Open University) meet to discuss reproductive justice in the context of participation and feminist knowledge creation.

Listen in on a thought-provoking intergenerational podcast about autonomy, reproductive resistance, and the importance of centring community knowledge. Our panellists draw from their experiences linking feminist research and activism while advocating for social change.

Recorded on Wednesday 21 June 2023 as a live podcast hosted by the Open University’s Reproduction, Sexualities and Sexual Health Research Group. 

This episode was produced by Elise Denis-Ramirez.

Links to resources: 

Edem Barbara Ntumy

https://decolonisingcontraception.com/

Professor Emeritus Patricia Maguire

https://www.parfemtrailblazers.net/  

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oWKMvXTjOrfzuO1bryd2n  

Dr Camilla Fitzsimons
Digital Repository of Ireland where some of the raw data from research I carried out prior to Ireland’s referendum on abortion has been uploaded along with chapter 1 of my book Repealed. https://repository.dri.ie/catalog/2n506t51c 

Elise Denis-Ramirez

https://www.open.ac.uk/people/ebdr2

Want to read more about Reproductive Justice? See here recommended sources from our speakers here:

https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice

https://read.dukeupress.edu/meridians/article-abstract/10/2/42/138498/What-is-Reproductive-Justice-How-Women-of-Color?redirectedFrom=fulltext

https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520288201/reproductive-justice

Norwood, Carolette, Farrah Jacquez, Thembi Carr, Stef Murawsky, Key Beck, and Amy Tuttle. "Reproductive Justice, Public Black Feminism in Practice: A Reflection on Community-Based Participatory Research in Cincinnati."  Societies 12, no. 1 (2022): 17. 

Soto-Ponce, Belen, Manuel Garcia-Ramirez, and Lucía Jiménez. (2023) "Romani Girls Matter: Developing a Participatory Action Research Protocol for Reproductive Justice."  In Healthcare, vol. 11, no. 5, p. 755. MDPI, 2023. 

Wilson, K. (2018). For reproductive justice in an era of Gates and Modi: the violence of India's population policies. Feminist Review, 119(1), 89-105. 

Sama Women’s Health & Surabhi Sharma, documentary (commercial surrogacy, India) – “Can we see the baby bump, please?’ https://samawomenshealth.in/can-we-see-the-baby-bump-please/  

DAWN on their work on sexual and reproductive health and rights, including their groundbreaking work on Reproductive Rights and Population: Feminist Voices from the South produced for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in 1994. It placed SRHR firmly within development, questioning neoliberalism and neoconservatism. 

Nandagiri, Rishita (2022) ‘I feel like some kind of namoona’: examining sterilisation in women's abortion trajectories in India. In: Boydell, Victoria and Dow, Katharine, (eds.) Technologies of Reproduction Across the Lifecourse: Expanding Reproductive Studies. Emerald Studies in Reproduction, Culture and Society. Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, UK, 29 - 47. ISBN 9781800717343 

Nandagiri, Rishita (2021) What’s so troubling about ‘voluntary’ family planning anyway? A feminist perspective. Population Studies, 75 (S1). 221 - 234. ISSN 1477-4747 http://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.1996623 (OA)

Berro Pizzarossaa, Lucía and Nandagiri, Rishita (2021) Self-managed abortion: a constellation of actors, a cacophony of laws? Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 29 (1). ISSN 2641-0397 http://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2021.1899764 (OA)