Patience Mutunami

Patience Mutunami serves as a Research Fellow in the School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature at the University of Portsmouth. She collaborates with Professor Tamsin Bradley on 'The Girl Generation- Africa Led Movement to end FGM' project funded by FCDO and coordinates the cross-faculty Centre for the Advancement of Equality, Gender and Inclusion Studies spanning Humanities & Social Sciences and Business & Law.

Her educational qualifications include:

• BA (Hons) in International Development Studies, University of Portsmouth (2014)
• Masters’ in Research Development Studies, University of Portsmouth (2016)
• PhD in International Development, University of Portsmouth (2023)

As a feminist researcher activist, Mutunami investigates how conservative gender ideologies legitimize violence against women and girls through harmful practices like FGM, child marriage, and polygamy. Her anthropological work examines vulnerability formation and agency negotiation using ethnography and life-history narratives within feminist/postcolonial frameworks. She advocates for integrating gender-based violence approaches across development sectors.

Her 2025 Development in Practice article establishes cross-sectoral FGM/C eradication models, demonstrating consistent focus on translating research into policy. This aligns with her critique of development programming that fails to address intersecting gender inequalities.

Key recognition includes:

• ESRC South Coast DTP Scholarship

Mutunami supports teaching in the Global Development Module (Level 4) and serves as Co-Investigator on the ESRC-funded project 'Translating research into practice through an enhanced framework for assessing FGM risk' (2024-2025), developing evidence-based family training systems.

She operates through the Centre for European & International Studies Research while leading the Centre for the Advancement of Equality, Gender and Inclusion Studies, driving interdisciplinary collaboration on gender equality initiatives.