Emma Louise Backe is a medical anthropologist and an advocate, dedicated to working on issues of gender-based violence, reproductive justice, health inequity, and trauma-informed continuums of care. As a PhD student in anthropology at George Washington University, her research is interested in mental health care for survivors of sexual violence who are also HIV positive in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition to her ethnographic research, Emma serves as a consultant in international development and global health. She’s conducted research, policy assessments, and evaluations for the Gender, Health and Justice Research Unit; the Global Women’s Institute; the International Center for Research on Women; and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Emma is also a logophile, story-lover, wonderer, explorer, art activist, critic, anthropologist and ghost whisperer. She cares deeply about the power of literature, women’s issues, and the ways that people find and cultivate magic in the world. She has devoted much of her professional, personal and academic life advocating to end violence against women and girls and cultivating culturally sensitive, creatively driven therapeutic and institutional responses for survivors. In her spare time, she volunteers for the DC Rape Crisis Center as a Hotline Advocate and a Community Educator, Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) on the policy team, as well as the Health Justice for Peace Corps Volunteers movement to advocate for better health support for RPCV’s and accountable models for prevention and care among RPCV’s who are assaulted during their service. She also writes for and manages The Geek Anthropologist. She loves talking to people about their interests, sharing ideas, geeking out, collaboratively writing, and sharing auspicious signs and energies, so feel free to contact her at emma.backe@gmail.com.
Emma Louise Backe 