Laura S Martins
Biographic Data
| ID | 3789376 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Laura S Martins |
| GIVEN NAMES | Laura S |
| FAMILY NAME | Martins |
| SIGNATURE | MARTINS L S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nottingham |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5027-3996 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Hegel Beyond Liberalism
In his book, Hegel Beyond Liberalism: The Dialectic of Political and Economic Democracy, Bernardo Ferro seeks to capture Hegel’s core insight that freedom is realized through institutions that reconcile our particular interests with the common good. This idea has a radically transformative potential yet, Ferro thinks, it is one that neither Hegel himself nor his liberal interpreters have fully recognized. In this ambitious and creative book, Ferr…
Intersubjective Meanings and Oppressive Social Practices
Recently, social philosophers have argued for a practice-based social ontology that can furnish a robustly social account of oppression and, in turn, illuminate the obstacles to and possibilities for social change. This paper argues for an intersubjective approach to oppressive social practices. Oppressive meanings constitute relationships between agents in ways they neither choose nor decide on; agents uphold those meanings through their relatio…
Exceptional (in)security
This article builds upon a growing body of critical security literature that explores the diverse, multiple and scalar experiences of crises and emergencies. While there has been extensive analysis that looks at the conceptualization of these terms and the state and international politics surrounding them, this article focuses on more local experiences and perspectives of what it means for particular events to be exceptional, particularly in plac…
Navigating Local Transitional Justice
In post-war Sierra Leone, a range of transitional justice mechanisms were implemented to address experiences of conflict, violence, and human rights violations. Much of the research on local transitional justice processes has focused on the work of organisations, failing to acknowledge how individual and communal dynamics shape and are shaped by these programs. Drawing on original fieldwork in Sierra Leone, Laura S. Martin moves beyond discussion…
The theatre of development
This article explores performance within development spaces. Dramaturgy, a concept deriving from theatre studies, can be understood as an analytical lens that examines the various roles and performances of different ‘actors’ in particular social spaces. While there is literature exploring the use of the arts, such as applied theatre and dance, in development interventions, this article looks at the roles, performances and actors in development sp…
Introduction
o say that the 'American body' is a highly contested space within contemporary American society is perhaps an understatement. With attention to recent history and ongoing events, the body is seen, now more than ever, as an open battleground that underpins some of contemporary America's most divisive and impactful issues. The polarizing debate within the American public regarding how to stem the effects of a still ongoing global pandemic seems to …
Embracing Aporia
This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 20…
Laughing off Ebola in Sierra Leone
The West African Ebola epidemic of 2013 to 2016 resulted in a long-term state of emergency and dramatic changes to everyday life. Despite it being a challenging period, humor was still part of social interactions and exchanges. Periods of crisis can lend themselves well to humor due to the fact that both crisis and humor find their foundations in absurdity. This article seeks to build on existing work by looking at humor as a form of production, …
Bringing inside out
This article explores the theoretical and practical role(s) of humour in facilitating outreach about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone. While humour might be considered an insensitive way of approaching difficult issues, this project shows that incongruity can in fact be productive. Recognizing that humour itself can be a form of symbolic or physical violence in some contexts, we argue that humour is a means of opening up co…
Deconstructing the local in peacebuilding practice
The ‘local’ has become central to peacebuilding, both in theory and in practice. While there is extensive conceptual literature analysing the ‘local’, there is much less that looks at how what is often considered local in peacebuilding programmes actually works in practice. The empirical peacebuilding literature that does exist has largely focussed on the international–local interface and those studies that have focussed solely on the ‘local’ lar…
(En)gendering post-conflict agency
This article explores how female agency and experience manifest in a local Sierra Leonean peacebuilding program known as Fambul Tok. While post-conflict literature, namely transitional justice and peacebuilding, has become more critical in recent years, there is still a tendency to generalize both the ‘local’ and ‘women’. There is, however, much greater scope to delineate how local programs shape and are shaped by women in these settings. While F…
Practicing Normality
Transitional justice and peacebuilding mechanisms have a tendency to reflect the extraordinary nature of conflict. These recognizable mechanisms—official bodies and institutions with preconceived goals and processes—are often inaccessible and undesired. In fact, what is often desired in post-conflict societies is the ordinary: a transition to a ‘new normal’. This article explores the various ways in which Sierra Leoneans practice normality in the…
(En)gendering post-conflict agency
This article explores how female agency and experience manifest in a local Sierra Leonean peacebuilding program known as Fambul Tok. While post-conflict literature, namely transitional justice and peacebuilding, has become more critical in recent years, there is still a tendency to generalize both the ‘local’ and ‘women’. There is, however, much greater scope to delineate how local programs shape and are shaped by women in these settings. While F…
Deconstructing the local in peacebuilding practice
The ‘local’ has become central to peacebuilding, both in theory and in practice. While there is extensive conceptual literature analysing the ‘local’, there is much less that looks at how what is often considered local in peacebuilding programmes actually works in practice. The empirical peacebuilding literature that does exist has largely focussed on the international–local interface and those studies that have focussed solely on the ‘local’ lar…
Practicing Normality
Transitional justice and peacebuilding mechanisms have a tendency to reflect the extraordinary nature of conflict. These recognizable mechanisms—official bodies and institutions with preconceived goals and processes—are often inaccessible and undesired. In fact, what is often desired in post-conflict societies is the ordinary: a transition to a ‘new normal’. This article explores the various ways in which Sierra Leoneans practice normality in the…
The theatre of development
This article explores performance within development spaces. Dramaturgy, a concept deriving from theatre studies, can be understood as an analytical lens that examines the various roles and performances of different ‘actors’ in particular social spaces. While there is literature exploring the use of the arts, such as applied theatre and dance, in development interventions, this article looks at the roles, performances and actors in development sp…
Embracing Aporia
This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 20…
Bringing inside out
This article explores the theoretical and practical role(s) of humour in facilitating outreach about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone. While humour might be considered an insensitive way of approaching difficult issues, this project shows that incongruity can in fact be productive. Recognizing that humour itself can be a form of symbolic or physical violence in some contexts, we argue that humour is a means of opening up co…
Practicing Normality
Transitional justice and peacebuilding mechanisms have a tendency to reflect the extraordinary nature of conflict. These recognizable mechanisms—official bodies and institutions with preconceived goals and processes—are often inaccessible and undesired. In fact, what is often desired in post-conflict societies is the ordinary: a transition to a ‘new normal’. This article explores the various ways in which Sierra Leoneans practice normality in the…
Bringing inside out
This article explores the theoretical and practical role(s) of humour in facilitating outreach about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone. While humour might be considered an insensitive way of approaching difficult issues, this project shows that incongruity can in fact be productive. Recognizing that humour itself can be a form of symbolic or physical violence in some contexts, we argue that humour is a means of opening up co…
Deconstructing the local in peacebuilding practice
The ‘local’ has become central to peacebuilding, both in theory and in practice. While there is extensive conceptual literature analysing the ‘local’, there is much less that looks at how what is often considered local in peacebuilding programmes actually works in practice. The empirical peacebuilding literature that does exist has largely focussed on the international–local interface and those studies that have focussed solely on the ‘local’ lar…
(En)gendering post-conflict agency
This article explores how female agency and experience manifest in a local Sierra Leonean peacebuilding program known as Fambul Tok. While post-conflict literature, namely transitional justice and peacebuilding, has become more critical in recent years, there is still a tendency to generalize both the ‘local’ and ‘women’. There is, however, much greater scope to delineate how local programs shape and are shaped by women in these settings. While F…
Introduction
o say that the 'American body' is a highly contested space within contemporary American society is perhaps an understatement. With attention to recent history and ongoing events, the body is seen, now more than ever, as an open battleground that underpins some of contemporary America's most divisive and impactful issues. The polarizing debate within the American public regarding how to stem the effects of a still ongoing global pandemic seems to …
Embracing Aporia
This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 20…
Laughing off Ebola in Sierra Leone
The West African Ebola epidemic of 2013 to 2016 resulted in a long-term state of emergency and dramatic changes to everyday life. Despite it being a challenging period, humor was still part of social interactions and exchanges. Periods of crisis can lend themselves well to humor due to the fact that both crisis and humor find their foundations in absurdity. This article seeks to build on existing work by looking at humor as a form of production, …
Navigating Local Transitional Justice
In post-war Sierra Leone, a range of transitional justice mechanisms were implemented to address experiences of conflict, violence, and human rights violations. Much of the research on local transitional justice processes has focused on the work of organisations, failing to acknowledge how individual and communal dynamics shape and are shaped by these programs. Drawing on original fieldwork in Sierra Leone, Laura S. Martin moves beyond discussion…
The theatre of development
This article explores performance within development spaces. Dramaturgy, a concept deriving from theatre studies, can be understood as an analytical lens that examines the various roles and performances of different ‘actors’ in particular social spaces. While there is literature exploring the use of the arts, such as applied theatre and dance, in development interventions, this article looks at the roles, performances and actors in development sp…
Exceptional (in)security
This article builds upon a growing body of critical security literature that explores the diverse, multiple and scalar experiences of crises and emergencies. While there has been extensive analysis that looks at the conceptualization of these terms and the state and international politics surrounding them, this article focuses on more local experiences and perspectives of what it means for particular events to be exceptional, particularly in plac…
Hegel Beyond Liberalism
In his book, Hegel Beyond Liberalism: The Dialectic of Political and Economic Democracy, Bernardo Ferro seeks to capture Hegel’s core insight that freedom is realized through institutions that reconcile our particular interests with the common good. This idea has a radically transformative potential yet, Ferro thinks, it is one that neither Hegel himself nor his liberal interpreters have fully recognized. In this ambitious and creative book, Ferr…
Intersubjective Meanings and Oppressive Social Practices
Recently, social philosophers have argued for a practice-based social ontology that can furnish a robustly social account of oppression and, in turn, illuminate the obstacles to and possibilities for social change. This paper argues for an intersubjective approach to oppressive social practices. Oppressive meanings constitute relationships between agents in ways they neither choose nor decide on; agents uphold those meanings through their relatio…
Political science (9 works) · Sierra leone (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Law (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Peacebuilding and International Security (5 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (5 works) · Art (4 works) · Ethnology (4 works) · Politics (4 works)