Profile
WIRZ_Gina

Gina Wirz-Suárez

PhD Researcher in Anthropology and Sociology
Spoken languages
Spanish, English, French, German
Areas of expertise
  • Social movements
  • Theories of collective action
  • Women's and feminist movements
  • Women's rights
  • Sociology of Law
  • Political participation
  • Peacebuilding
  • Feminist methodologies
  • Forced Migration Issues
Geographical Region of Expertise
  • Colombia
  • Switzerland

PhD Thesis

 

Title: Forced migration and transnational activism: The case of Colombian women in exile

PhD Supervisor & Co-supervisor: Graziella Moraes Dias da Silva and Eléonore Lépinard (University of Lausanne)

Expected completion date: 2026

My research project is framed around my interests in social movements and collective action from feminist perspectives. I aim to analyze the experiences of Colombian women who have undergone political exile in Geneva and Barcelona. The conceptual and theoretical framework draws from various research areas, particularly political transnationalism and forced migration studies from feminist perspectives. My intention is to understand how women mobilize during and after exile, as well as the specific resources they require to engage in transnational collective action and networks.
To achieve this, I will conduct research using ethnographic methods, taking into consideration ethical issues and my positionality as a researcher and as part of the Colombian diaspora in Switzerland. This project is funded by the Doc.CH scholarship and is conducted under the supervision of Prof. Graziella Moraes Dias da Silva (ANSO) and Prof. Eléonore Lépinard (Center for Gender Studies, Université de Lausanne).

 

Profile

 

Gina Wirz-Suárez is a PhD candidate in Anthropology and Sociology at the Geneva Graduate Institute. She holds a Master’s in Social Sciences from the University of Lausanne. She also completed a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Gender Studies at the National University of Colombia. She is currently a DOC.CH fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) carrying out the project ""Forced migration and transnational activism: the case of Colombian women in exile"" under the supervision of Graziella Moraes Dias da Silva and Eléonore Lépinard (University of Lausanne). She is a board member of the Swiss Association for Gender Studies (SAGS).
Prior to the fellowship, Gina worked during 2019 and 2022 as a Graduate Assistant and Student Assistant at the University of Lausanne for the courses Clinic Gender and Human Rights and Gender, Right and Law. In Colombia, she worked as a research assistant and project officer at the National University of Colombia and different international NGOs in peacebuilding issues, gender perspective, and political participation.
Her current research interests revolve around the political activism of exiled and migrant women in peacebuilding issues, migrant politics, and other political scenarios. She examines the Colombian case in Europe, considering perspectives from social movements, transnational participation, gender issues, and forced migration experiences. For her Ph.D. dissertation, she aims to analyze the transnational political activism of Colombian women in exile living in Switzerland and Spain using ethnographic and feminist methods.

 

Academic Work experience

 

  • 1.09.22-1.08.23- Teaching Assistant. Department of Anthropology and Sociology. Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID). 45%
  • 1.09.2021-31.08.2022- Graduate Assistant (substitute). Center for Gender Studies. University of Lausanne. Courses: Course Clinic Gender and Human Rights (2021-2) and Seminar Gender and sport (2022-1) Advisor: Prof. Eléonore Lépinard. 80% 
  • 9.2019-12.2019. Student Assistant. Center for Gender Studies. University of Lausanne. Course: “Gender, Rights and Justice”. Advisor: Prof. Eléonore Lépinard and Dr. Marta Roca i Escoda. 40% 
  • 9.2018-1.2019. Student Assistant. Center for Gender Studies. University of Lausanne. Course: “Gender, Rights and Justice”.  Advisor: Prof. Eléonore Lépinard and Dr. Marta Roca i Escoda. 40% 
  • 8.2014-12.2014. Teaching Assistant. School of Gender Studies. National University of Colombia. Course: “Women, armed conflict and peacebuilding”.  Bogota, Colombia. Advisor: Prof. Dora Isabel Diaz. 50%
  • 14.2009-07.2011 Student assistant. School of Gender Studies. National University of Colombia. Research assistant at the library “Women and Gender”. Advisor: Prof. Magdalena Leon. 50%

Other Work Experiences

  • 2018. Intern- Caux Peacebuilding and Leadership Program. Initiatives of Change. Caux-CH. Advisor: Phoebe Gill. 100%
  • 2015.Administrative and pedagogical assistant. Diploma course “Strengthening of incidence capabilities for women leaders in the Colombian rural sector”. School of Gender Studies, National University of Colombia and OXFAM. Bogota, Colombia. 
  • Project coordinator: ""Strengthening Systematization and Reporting Capacity for the Visibility and Impact of Organizational Processes in “Women's Confluence for Public Action” and to eradicate the different forms of violence against women"" Funded by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund and with the administrative support of Association for the Social Promotion Alternative – MINGA. Bogota, Colombia"

 

Research Interests

 

  • Forced migration studies
  • Gender issues
  • Political participation

 

RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS AND WORKS

 

 

Fellowships, Grants and Awards

 

  • 2022. Doc.CH fellowship grant for my doctoral project. Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Project: Forced migration and transnational activism: the case of Colombian women in exile. 
  • 2013. Academic excellence award. Teaching Assistant Scholarship for master’s studies. Granted by the Council Headquarters of the Faculty of Humans Sciences. National University of Colombia.  Bogota, Colombia
  • 2014. Young researchers’ scholarship for master’s thesis. Granted by the Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (Colciencias) and the Faculty of Human Sciences. Faculty of Humans Sciences. National University of Colombia. Bogota, Colombia
  • 2010. Young researchers’ scholarship. Transdisciplinary research training program. Pontifical Xavierian University.  Bogota, Colombia

 

Affiliations

 

  • 2012- School for Gender Studies. National University of Colombia.  
  • 2018- Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). 
  • 2020- Latin American Studies Association (LASA).
    Center for Gender Studies. University of Lausanne.
  • 2021- Doctoral Program in Gender Studies (CUSO) 
    Swiss Association for Gender Studies (SAGS): Board member of the Latin American Research Network. 
    Swiss School of Latin American Studies (SSLAS).
    Global Migration Centre & Gender Center. Geneva Graduate Institute.
  • 2022- AtGender. The European Association for Gender Research, Education and Documentation. 
  • 2023- Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy- Geneva Graduate Institute.
    Research group on Colombian exile

 

Links

 

EMAIL