Staff Profile
Dr Katharine A. M. Wright
Senior Lecturer in International Politics
- Email: katharine.a.m.wright@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44191 208 0283
- Personal Website: https://kamwright.com/
- Address: School of Geography, Politics and Sociology
Henry Daysh Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
Dr Katharine A. M. Wright is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics within the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, having joined Newcastle University in 2017.
Dr Wright is a feminist International Relations scholar who specialises in Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Defence and is an expert on NATO. Relatedly, she has published on Feminist Foreign Policy, Public/Digital Diplomacy, the EU and Northern Ireland.
At Newcastle, Dr Wright is a co-convener of the Military, War and Security Research Group. Externally, she is a member of the Northumbrian Universities Military Education Committee and a member of the Steering Committee of the NATO Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women, Peace and Security.
She has extensive experience of engaging with policy making and civil society communities globally to inform evidence based decision making. Her research has informed workshops, training and briefings for various NATO bodies, militaries, governments and non-governmental organisations. She has also co-authored a guide to Gender and Inclusivity in Peace and Security published by the Quaker Council for European Affairs. In addition to acting as a media commentator both nationally and internationally, in print and broadcast, including interviews for BBC News, ABC News, Al Jazeera and Global Magazine amongst others.
Research expertise:
- NATO
- UK Defence Policy
- Women, Peace and Security
- Digital Diplomacy
- Feminist Foreign Policy
Professional Memberships
International Studies Association (ISA)
British International Studies Association (BISA)
University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES)
Google scholar: Click here.
Orcid ID: 0000-0003-0911-5122
Pronouns: She/Her
Dr Wright’s research focuses on gender, defence and security. She is particularly interested in the engagement of Defence with feminist agendas, including the Women, Peace and Security agenda and Feminist Foreign Policy. She is an expert on NATO, and in studying the Alliance’s approach to Women, Peace and Security has published on NATO’s approach to public/digital diplomacy (from a visual and celebrity perspective), strategic narratives and how NATO functions as an institution of international hegemonic masculinity. She is the author of NATO, Gender and the Military: Women organising from within (with Dr Matthew Hurley and Jesus Ignacio Gil Ruiz), which received an Honourable Mention in the 2020 BISA Susan Strange Book Prize
Relatedly, her work has also engaged with the European Union’s approach to Women, Peace and Security, and she has published on this in relation to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), digital diplomacy and Feminist Foreign Policy.
She is also interested in the domestication of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Most recently, receiving funding from the Equality Commission Northern Ireland (with Prof Ruth McAreavey) to examine the impact of Brexit on women in Northern Ireland.
Dr Katharine A. M. Wright is passionate about learning and teaching. She has taught on a broad range of Politics and International Relations modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level across three different institutions. Her approach to teaching is grounded in the idea that students should be actively involved in their own learning. She draws extensively on the problem based approach, including simulations, to support students in connecting theoretical concepts with empirical reality.
She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and has a PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCAP) with distinction.
For 2024/25 she is Co-Politics Postgraduate Taught Director and will be teaching:
- POL2110 Security Studies (Co-Module Leader)
- POL8070 Problem Solving for Defence (H4MOD) (Co-Module Leader)
- POL8041 Thinking about Politics (Modle Leader)
- POL3046 Dissertation (Supervisor)
Dr Wright is an External Examiner at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Staffordshire University.
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Articles
- Wright KAM, Bergman Rosamond A. Sweden, NATO and the Gendered Silencing of Feminist Foreign Policy. International Affairs 2024, 100(2), 589–607.
- David M, Guerrina R, Wright KAM. Nakedly Normative: A feminist (re)imagination of planetary politics. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 2024, 62(3), 885-901.
- Hurley M, Wright KAM, Lund K, D'Hert K, Gil Ruiz JI, Morais D. Engaging women, peace, and security in defence: the role of the NATO committee on gender perspectives. Defence Studies 2024, epub ahead of print.
- Wright KAM. Gendered silences in Western responses to the Russia–Ukraine war. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 2023, 19, 237-240.
- Bergman Rosamond A, Wright KAM. Digital Celebrity Diplomacy in the UN Security Council Elections: Canada, Ireland and Kenya. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 2023, 19(1), 17-48.
- Guerrina R, Haastrup T, Wright KAM. Contesting feminist power Europe: is Feminist Foreign Policy possible for the EU?. European Security 2023, 32(3), 485-507.
- Wright KAM. Challenging Civil Society Perceptions of NATO: Engaging the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Cooperation and Conflict 2023, 58(1), 61-80.
- Wright KAM. Where is Women, Peace and Security? NATO's Response to the Russia-Ukraine War. European Journal of Politics and Gender 2022, 5(2), 275-277.
- Morais D, Turner S, Wright KAM. The Future of Women, Peace and Security at NATO. Transatlantic Policy Quarterly 2022, 21(2), 103-111.
- Wright KAM, Haastrup T, Guerrina R. Ontological (in)security and Covid-19: Reimagining Crisis Leadership in UK Higher Education. Critical Studies on Security 2021, 9(2), 174-178.
- Wright KAM, Bergman-Rosamond A. NATO’s Strategic Narratives: Angelina Jolie and the alliance’s celebrity and visual turn. Review of International Studies 2021, 47(4), 443-466.
- Wright KAM, Guerrina R. Imagining the European Union: Gender and Digital Diplomacy in European External Relations. Political Studies Review 2020, 18(3), 393-409.
- Wright KAM, Haastrup T, Guerrina R. Equalities in freefall? Ontological insecurity and the long‐term impact of COVID‐19 in the academy. Gender, Work & Organization 2020, 28(S1), 163-167.
- Wright KAM. Telling NATO’s story of Afghanistan: Gender and the alliance’s digital diplomacy. Media, War and Conflict 2019, 12(1), 87-101.
- Holmes G, Wright KAM, Basu S, Hurley M, Martin de Almagro M, Guerrina R, Chinkin C. Feminist Experiences of ‘Studying up’: Encounters with International Institutions. Millennium: Journal of International Studies 2019, 47(2), 210-230.
- Haastrup T, Wright KAM, Guerrina R. Bringing Gender In? EU Foreign and Security Policy after Brexit. Politics & Governance 2019, 7(3), 62-71.
- Haastrup T, Wright KAM, Guerrina R. Brexit: Gendered implications for equality in the UK. European Journal of Politics and Gender 2019, 2(2), 311-312.
- Guerrina R, Chappell L, Wright KAM. Transforming CSDP? Feminist Triangles and Gender Regimes. Journal of Common Market Studies 2018, 56(5), 1036-1052.
- Guerrina R, Haastrup T, Wright KAM, Macrae H, Masselot A, Cavaghan R. Does European Union Studies have a gender problem? Experiences from researching Brexit. International Feminist Journal of Politics 2018, 20(2), 252-257.
- Holland J, Wright KAM. The Double Delegitimisation of Julia Gillard: Gender, the Media and Australian Political Culture. Australian Journal of Politics and History 2017, 63(4), 588-602.
- Usherwood S, Wright KAM. Sticks and stones: Comparing Twitter campaigning strategies in the European Union referendum. British Journal of Politics and International Relations 2017, 19(2), 371-388.
- Wright KAM, Hurley M. Navigating Gender, Power and Perceptions when Researching NATO: A Conversation. International Feminist Journal of Politics 2017, 19(3), 390-392.
- Wright KAM. NATO’s Adoption of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security: Making the Agenda a Reality. International Political Science Review 2016, 37(3), 350-361.
- Guerrina R, Wright KAM. Gendering normative power Europe: lessons of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. International Affairs 2016, 92(2), 293-312.
- Wright KAM, Holland J. Leadership and the media: Gendered framings of Julia Gillard's ‘sexism and misogyny’ speech. Australian Journal of Political Science 2014, 49(3), 455-468.
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Authored Book
- Wright KAM, Hurley M, Gil Ruiz JI. NATO, Gender and the Military: Women Organising from Within. London, UK: Routledge, 2019.
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Book Chapters
- Wright KAM. Gender. In: Sperling J; Webber M, ed. The Oxford Handbook of NATO. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2025. In Press.
- Wright KAM. Towards a Feminist Defence Policy? Challenges for Feminist Foreign Policy. In: Partis-Jennings, H; Eroukhmanoff, C, ed. Feminist Policymaking in Turbulent Times: Critical Perspectives. Abingdon, Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2024, pp.205-222.
- Wright KAM. NATO's Digital Diplomacy. In: Bjola, C; Manor, I, ed. Oxford Handbook of Digital Diplomacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.
- Bergman Rosamond A, Wright KAM. Defence/military. In: Aggestam, K; True, J, ed. Feminist Foreign Policy Analysis: A New Subfield. Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2024. In Press.
- Ansorg N, Haastrup T, Wright KAM. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy: Feminist Interventions. In: Väyrynen, T; Parashar, S; Féron, E; Confortini, C, ed. Routledge Handbook of Feminist Peace Research. London, UK: Routledge, 2021.
- Routley L, Wright KAM. Being Indiana Jones in IR: The Pressure to Do ‘Real’ Fieldwork. In: Mac Ginty R; Vogel B; Brett R, ed. The Companion to Peace and Conflict Fieldwork. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.85-100.
- Wright KAM. Promoting the Women, Peace and Security agenda. In: Lindstrom G; Tardy T, ed. NATO and the EU: The essential partners. Rome: NATO Defence College, 2019, pp.91-100.
- Wright KAM. Gendering European Security. In: Mawdsley, J; Chappell, L; Galbreath, D, ed. Contemporary European Security. Routledge, 2019.
- Usherwood S, Wright KAM. Talking past each other: The Twitter Campaigns. Bournemouth, UK: Bournemouth University, 2016.
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Online Publications
- David M, Guerrina R, Wright KAM. Nakedly Normative Politics - Exposing EU Studies. London: University Association for Contemporary European Studies, 2023. Available at: https://jcms.ideasoneurope.eu/2023/08/22/nakedly-normative-politics-exposing-eu-studies/.
- Wright KAM. Post-Madrid: Challenges and Contradictions in NATO’s Women, Peace and Security Strategy. Australian Institute for International Affairs, 2022. Available at: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/post-madrid-challenges-and-contradictions-in-natos-women-peace-and-security-strategy/?trk=feed_main-feed-card_feed-article-content.
- Wright KAM. A feminist perspective on the Russian-Ukraine war: implications for NATO. London, United Kingdom, 2022. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/wps/2022/03/08/a-feminist-perspective-on-the-russian-ukraine-war-implications-for-nato/.
- Guerrina R, Wright KAM, Haastrup T. Living up to the Women, Peace and Security agenda? Gender must be a core element of Brexit negotiations. London, United Kingdom: London School of Economics, 2020. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2020/02/19/living-up-to-the-women-peace-and-security-agenda-gender-must-be-a-core-element-of-brexit-negotiations/.
- Wright KAM, Guerrina R, Haastrup T, Masselot A. Building 'Feminist Power Europe'? On the possibilities and missed opportunities of feminist foreign policy. The Loop, 2020. Available at: https://theloop.ecpr.eu/building-feminist-power-europe-on-the-possibilities-and-missed-opportunities-of-feminist-foreign-policy/.
- Agnihotri D, Wright KAM. Afghan Women in Geopolitical Imaginaries: Between NATO and India . E-International Relations, 2020. Available at: https://www.e-ir.info/2020/05/11/afghan-women-in-geopolitical-imaginaries-between-nato-and-india/.
- Wright KAM. Gender Matters: Mainstreaming Women, Peace and Security at NATO. E-IR Publications Ltd, 2017. Available at: http://www.e-ir.info/2017/11/17/gender-matters-mainstreaming-women-peace-and-security-at-nato/.
- Haastrup T, Wright KAM, Guerrina R. Women in the Brexit Debate: still largely confined to “low politics”. London: London School of Economics, 2016. Available at: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/06/17/women-in-the-brexit-debate-still-largely-confined-to-low-politics/.
- Guerrina R, Haastrup T, Wright KAM. Is it really that difficult to find women to talk about the EU Referendum?. LSE Impact Blog, 2016. Available at: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2016/05/19/is-it-really-that-difficult-to-find-women-to-talk-about-the-eu/.
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Reports
- Wright KAM. The Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on NATO’s Understanding of a Gender Perspective. Lisbon: Instituto de Defesa Nacional, 2023. IDN Briefing Papers.
- Wright KAM, Haastrup T, Guerrina R. Domestication: A Critical Analysis of the 5th UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Newlines Institute, 2023.
- Agius C, Bergman Rosamond A, Haastrup T, Wright KAM. Challenges for Feminist-Informed Foreign Policy: Militarisation and Australia's Engagements via AUKUS and NATO. Flinders Lane, Victoria, Australia: The Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition, 2023. Australian Feminist Foreign Policy Coalition Issues Paper Series.
- Wright KAM. Women, Peace and Security and Defence. WPS Helpdesk, 2022.
- Wright KAM, Caeymaex O, Bouchet-Couzey C. Gender & Inclusivity in Peace and Security. Brussels: Quaker Council for European Affairs, 2020.
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Review
- Wright KAM. Book review: Gender integration in NATO military forces: cross-national analysis. European Security 2015, 24(4), 617-620.