Lara Rosenoff
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I decided to pursue a PhD because at the end of my MFA work in Padibe Internally Displaced Persons' (IDP) Camp, the community was just beginning to leave and return to their lands. Youth, parents and elders expressed their thoughts around the problems and issues that were arising as they returned. The struggles that they spoke of were nor accurately represented in the national and international discourses, practices or policies around post-conflict reconstruction or reconciliation.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
I decided on UBC because of the great reputation of its Anthropology Department, the associated Museum of Anthropology and the Liu Institute for Global Issues. Known for collaborative community research, policy engagement, and commitment to public communication and exhibition, I knew I had found a home that would foster my intellectual as well as my creative and advocacy development.
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I was warned that PhD work was quite isolating, but I am very fortunate (and surprised) that I have found groups of other scholars with whom I can explore some of my most pressing questions. The Liu Institute for Global Issues' Liu Scholar Program especially contributed to that positive experience. Also, I am pleased that my artistic background and curatorial interests are valued in addition to my strictly academic or intellectual work.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Take advantage of the incredible people that surround you here at UBC. Connect with faculty, students and staff outside as well as within your department. Explore the rich intellectual, artistic and social landscape of the city outside the University, and get into the beautiful nature!
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Learn more about Lara's research
"Do Not Uproot the Pumpkin Fruit": Social Repair and Acoli Youth after Two Decades of War and Displacement in Pabwoc-East Village, Northern Uganda My research project will examine how the extreme human rights abuses committed during long-term intra-community conflict (including forced displacement, internment, abduction, and violence) affect kinship and oral tradition practices in rural Northern Uganda, and how that, in turn, affects youth and social stability, social reconstruction and social repair. I will work with Pabwoc-East village residents, now returned to their lands after nearly a decade of internment in Padibe Internally Displaced Persons' Camp, using mixed methods to contribute to vital research on youth and a meaningful, "localized" transitional justice.
