Natasja Rupesinghe studies conflict and political violence. Her thesis examined how communities responded to a local jihadist rebellion in central Mali. The thesis investigated why some communities collaborated with jihadist rebels, while others violently resisted them. This research drew on in-depth interviews with war-affected civilians during fieldwork in Bamako between September 2021 - April 2022.
At the EUI, Natasja will continue to research the role of civilian agency in war, shifting the focus to high-risk behaviour in communal conflicts. This research explores how communities use informal social institutions to promote non-violence over violence and how leaders pursue dialogue with armed groups to foster peace locally.
Natasja obtained her DPhil in International Relations in 2024 from Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Natasja has a BA degree in European Social and Political Studies, specialising in International Relations, and French from University College London, and an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has previously been a Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, in Oslo. In addition to academic positions, Natasja was seconded to the African Union, in the Peace Operations Division between 2016-2017. She has worked in non-governmental organisations, such as Human Rights Watch in London and Relief International in Colombo. She is currently also a fellow at the Centre on Armed Groups based in Geneva.

Mentor

Jeffrey T., Checkel