5 Objects | Conversation with Naomi van Stapele

This week we spoke to Naomi van Stapele is an assistant professor ‘Anthropology and Development Studies’ at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Her current research project looks at the role of non-state security groups in the context of violent religious extremism in Kenya. This project builds on her Ph.D. on 'illegal' work, masculinities and belonging in Nairobi. Her other work focusses on sex work, economic uncertainty and political positioning in Kenya and Ethiopia. She has also been extensively engaged in and;"decolonizing academia" through a wide scale of interventions based on inclusive pedagogy. Throughout, she supports and amplifies the work of grassroots social justice activists and community-led development programs in marginalized urban settings in Kenya, always on their terms.