Trude Stapnes

Research Interests

​My current research focuses on the role of artists and artistic expressions after the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. I am interested in how artists are responding to the coup and how the coup has affected their artistic practice. Currently I am exploring the ways in which artists are engaging in a form of everyday resistance through their work. 

Background

I am a Doctoral Researcher at PRIO and the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. My PhD is part of the project Inspirational creative practice: The work of artists after war and violent conflict (INSPIRE) at PRIO. Please visit the INSPIRE website to learn more about the project. 

I hold a master’s degree in cultural and community psychology from the University of Oslo. In my MA thesis I explored why people protest in contexts known for violent suppression and imprisonment of protesters, specifically focusing on student activists in Myanmar protesting against the enactment of a new education law in 2015. My MA thesis was part of the PRIO project Societal Transformation in Conflict Contexts (TRANSFORM).

I have previously worked as a Research Assistant for the PRIO Centre on Culture and Violent Conflict and on various research projects at PRIO including: Societal Transformation in Conflict Contexts, Social Media in Armed Conflict: The Case of Myanmar and Active Citizenship in Culturally and Religiously Diverse Societies.

Research Groups

• Migration

• Migration

PRIO Departments

• Societies, Mobility and Change

• Social Dynamics (2012-2022)

PRIO Projects

• Inspirational Creative Practice: Art and Activism in Myanmar (project leader)
• Inspirational Creative Practice: The Work of Artists after War and Violent Conflict (INSPIRE)
• PRIO Fieldwork Network (FIWON)

• "The protest was our last and only weapon": A qualitative study of how individuals in Myanmar understand their motives for participating in protest (project leader)
• Active Citizenship in Culturally and Religiously Diverse Societies (ACT)
• Art, Peace and Conflict: Conversations with Artists
• Societal Transformation in Conflict Contexts (TRANSFORM)

Events

• Wed, 07 Dec 2022 18:30-20:45 – Film Screening: Women at the Frontline - 'As I Want'
• Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:00-13:00 – INSPIRE Seminar Series: Protest Aesthetics in Motion
• Wed, 10 Nov 2021 12:00-13:00 – INSPIRE Seminar Series: Guy Elhanan
• Wed, 13 Oct 2021 12:00-13:00 – INSPIRE seminar series: On Fearless Love: Tradition, Service, and Social Change
• Thu, 30 Sep 2021 14:00-16:00 – Fighting for Social Justice
• Wed, 15 Sep 2021 12:00-13:00 – INSPIRE seminar series: Mother, Singer, Survivor of Liberia’s Civil War and Refugee as Community Builder
• Wed, 09 October 2019 – Political Agency and Moral Action in Times of War

PRIO started tracking events online in 2007. This listing is not complete. Past events may be mentioned in our news archive.

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