Political philosopher turned women’s rights expert & activist.
After a decade in the CSO sector, now teaching self-defence for women, and working as an independent expert.
I’ve travelled through these fields searching for the best ways in which I could contribute to the goal of advancing equality – especially equality between girls/women and boys/men – and ending violence and harassment against women and girls. The journey took me from the ivory tower of academia through the endless struggles of the NGO sector, leading to direct work with groups – especially women –, who are interested in these subjects and goals, and are themselves motivated to learn about and contribute to them. In this work, I can finally make the theoretical and practical knowledge gathered along the way directly and tangibly useful, and immediately applicable for others. If you’re interested in these subjects, please feel free to check out my self-defence courses & workshops and the services & consulting I offer for communities, organisations & companies.
Background
I graduated from the Faculty of Humanities at ELTE with a focus on social and political philosophy. My BA thesis examined the relationship between hate speech and the freedom of expression.
I then completed two master's degrees in Social and Political Science (MSc) and Political Theory (MA) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). My primary area of research during these studies was exploring the implications of international refugee law to violence against women, from an empirical and applied legal perspective, as well as in terms of legal theory and political philosophy.
I conducted my doctoral studies at the University of Leeds, in the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), with the support of the URS Scholarship. I was also teaching at the university during this time. I obtained my doctorate in 2018. My dissertation examined the immediate causes and root-causes of the persistent prevalence and reproduction of violence against women as a widespread global social phenomenon causing serious harm and damage, and examined the related responsibilities, moral duties and obligations of various state and non-state agents and actors.
During my studies, I started to get involved in the work of organisations that provide support to victims of violence against women, and conduct advocacy to advance victims’ interests. In the subsequent decade, I filled many types of roles in these organisations, from proposal-writing and fundraising to strategic project planning; project-, research- and communication-coordination; content production and event-organising; training methodology development and training activities; to writing advocacy materials and engaging with decision-makers and international institutions. As a result of accumulating an unsustainable amount of roles and responsibilities without organisational support to better distribute structural burdens, and of increasing hopelessness in advancing advocacy efforts, I burned out of the civil sector in 2022.
The past fifteen years, conducting academic research on and working in the field of women’s rights, violence and harassment and their prevention, has equipped me with extensive experience and knowledge. I am keen on making this knowledge available and useful as an independent expert –contributing to initiatives, research projects, events, campaigns, and internal processes of companies and organisations – providing the input, background materials, or training that clients need when aiming to address these subjects directly, or when aiming to ensure that their endeavours and plans integrate an informed and conscious perspective in terms of women’s and girls’ needs, rights and interests.
I started practising the krav maga self-defence system in 2016. Shortly after, I started researching the available scientific literature on the risk-reducing effects of practising self-defence; and on the necessary modules, duration and characteristics of self-defence training required for achieving successful risk-reduction and prevention. I have obtained my self-defence instructor certificate at the BAKM Academy (UK) in 2022.
In light of the above, in 2023 I developed an integrated self-defence course for women, whose content and methodology combines the most crucial and relevant physical techniques with the most useful and practically applicable areas of the knowledge acquired in the previous 14 years in the scientific field and in working with victim support CSOs. In addition to the course, I also hold workshops and taster sessions, aiming to provide an opportunity for women and girls to experience and experiment with engaging in self-defence and exercising assertive presence and attitude.
In 2017, in spite of – or due to – struggling with vertigo, I fell in love with wall- and rock-climbing. In addition to the sport’s obvious benefits in terms of coordination and general fitness, I also consider it an excellent tool for further developing one’s self-knowledge and -confidence, and for experiencing peer support and solidarity. Hence, in addition to self-defence courses and workshops, I also organise sports days and ‘Try climbing!’ taster-sessions for women, and I greatly enjoy supporting others in taking their first vertical steps.