ARC DECRA Research Fellow
Overview
Melissa Johnston is a Lecturer in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland where she works in the areas of political economy and security. Melissa was awarded a Discovery Early Career Research Award (2022-2025) for her project on Brideprice, Conflict and Violence Against Women in Southeast Asia.
Melissa has two main research areas. The first area examines the pivotal role of misogyny and violence against women in the political economy of violent extremism, populism and Islamist and right wing politics,looking at the empirical and analytical links between violence against women and violent extremism in Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Libya. Findings show that support for violence against women and misogyny is the best predictor of an individual's support for violent extremism - a finding cited several times by the UN Secretary General in 2019 and 2020.
The second area is the political economy of post-conflict rebuilding. Her doctoral dissertation, winner of the 2019 Australian Political Studies Association thesis prize, applies a feminist political economy approach to account for the uneven outcomes gender programming by international development agencies. It argues the outcomes of international interventions on gender responsive budgeting, laws against domestic violence and microfinance are shaped by power relations between men and women in a setting of elite dominance. In the Timor-Leste case specifically, the political economy of kinship—as manifested in brideprice or traditional dispute resolution—has been as crucial to class formation as it has in perpetuating gender injustices. A journal article from this work "Frontier Finance" was the winner of the 2021 Australian International Political Economy Network best journal article prize.
Previously, Melissa has worked for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on Asia-Pacific development, and for Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) on European Union programs to protect women from severe intimate partner violence.
Research Impacts
I have a portfolio of skills, publications, and grant successes that demonstrate my commitment to pursuing innovative research. I have contributed to the field of International Relations by forging a research program focusing on the gendered drivers of conflict, focussing on feminist political economy analysis of the triggers of conflict and violence against women. My current DECRA on brideprice, conflict, and violence against women is the result of my sustained intellectual development as a lead researcher of the gender drivers of conflict, and their links to the political economy. The second area of my research on violent extremism has had a significant impact in keynotes, online, and international policy making. It has been cited by the cited in two UN Secretary General Reports, the UN Special Rapporteur on Promoting Human Rights and the Review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, significant international policy statements
Qualifications
- Doctoral (Research) of Politics, Murdoch University
Publications
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Journal Article: Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Lingham, Jayanthi Thiyaga and Johnston, Melissa (2024). Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Antipode. doi: 10.1111/anti.13016
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Other Outputs: Bring enough cows to marry: Brideprice, conflict, and gender relations in South Sudan
Pospisil, Jan, Johnston, Melissa, Garang, Adut Alaak and Tai, Nyachangkuoth Rambang (2023). Bring enough cows to marry: Brideprice, conflict, and gender relations in South Sudan. Coventry, United Kingdom: University of Coventry.
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Journal Article: Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste
Johnston, Melissa Frances (2020). Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Review of International Political Economy, 27 (6), 1305-1329. doi: 10.1080/09692290.2020.1733633
Grants
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Brideprice, Conflict, and Violence Against Women in Asia
(2022–2025) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
Supervision
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Matrilineal Societies in the Borderlands
Doctor Philosophy
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The Politics of Investment De-Risking in Indonesia
Doctor Philosophy
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PLANNING AND BUDGETING REFORM IN INDONESIA: GOVERNANCE, REGULATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT
Doctor Philosophy
Publications
Featured Publications
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Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste
Johnston, Melissa Frances (2020). Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Review of International Political Economy, 27 (6), 1305-1329. doi: 10.1080/09692290.2020.1733633
Book
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Building peace, rebuilding patriarchy: the failure of gender interventions in Timor-Leste
Johnston, Melissa (2023). Building peace, rebuilding patriarchy: the failure of gender interventions in Timor-Leste. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University PressNew York. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780197637999.001.0001
Book Chapter
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Feminist methods in international relations research
Johnston, Melissa (2022). Feminist methods in international relations research. Handbook of research methods in international relations. (pp. 214-231) edited by R. Huddleston, Thomas Jamieson and Patrick James. Northampton, MA USA: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781839101014.00022
Journal Article
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Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Lingham, Jayanthi Thiyaga and Johnston, Melissa (2024). Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Antipode. doi: 10.1111/anti.13016
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Brideprice's relationship to conflict, class, and violence against women
Johnston, Melissa (2023). Brideprice's relationship to conflict, class, and violence against women. Journal of Global Security Studies, 8 (1) ogac043, 1-18. doi: 10.1093/jogss/ogac043
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Mollica, Caitlin, Davies, Sara E., True, Jacqui, Eddyono, Sri Wiyanti, Fonseka, Bhavani and Johnston, Melissa (2022). Women and the justice divide in Asia Pacific: how can informal and formal institutions bridge the gap?. Human Rights Quarterly, 44 (3), 612-639. doi: 10.1353/hrq.2022.0029
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"Patriarchal reset" in the asia pacific during COVID-19: the impacts on women's security and rights
Johnston, Melissa, Davies, Sara E., True, Jacqui and Riveros-Morales, Yolanda (2021). "Patriarchal reset" in the asia pacific during COVID-19: the impacts on women's security and rights. The Pacific Review, 36 (3), 1-28. doi: 10.1080/09512748.2021.2005123
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Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste
Johnston, Melissa Frances (2020). Frontier finance: the role of microfinance in debt and violence in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Review of International Political Economy, 27 (6), 1305-1329. doi: 10.1080/09692290.2020.1733633
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The lure of (violent) extremism: gender constructs in online recruitment and messaging in Indonesia
Johnston, Melissa Frances, Iqbal, Muhammad and True, Jacqui (2020). The lure of (violent) extremism: gender constructs in online recruitment and messaging in Indonesia. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 46 (4), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/1057610X.2020.1759267
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Explaining microfinance's resilience: the case of microfinance in Australia
Gerard, Kelly and Johnston, Melissa (2019). Explaining microfinance's resilience: the case of microfinance in Australia. Globalizations, 16 (6), 876-893. doi: 10.1080/14747731.2018.1560188
Conference Publication
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Johnston, Melissa (2023). Patriarchal accumulation regimes: do men also appropriate women’s labour and commodities as men, not just as part of capitalist patriarchy?. European International Studies Association Conference, Potsdam, Germany, 5-9 September 2023.
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Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Lingham, Jayanthi and Johnston, Melissa (2023). Running on empty: depletion and social reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. European International Studies Association Conference, Potsdam, Germany, 5-9 September 2023.
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Johnston, Melissa (2023). Patriarchal accumulation regimes: do men also appropriate women’s labour and commodities as men, not just as part of capitalist patriarchy?. Asian Studies Association of Australia Workshop Examining the “hidden abode” of social reproduction, marriage, and violence in Southeast Asia, Salatiga, Indonesia, 20-21 July 2023.
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Linkages between violent misogyny and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism
Johnston, Melissa and Meger, Sara (2022). Linkages between violent misogyny and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. Linkages between violent misogyny and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, Vienna, Austria, 9 September.
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Misogyny and violent extremism: investigating missing variables
Johnston, Melissa, Riveros-Morales, Yolanda and True, Jacqui (2022). Misogyny and violent extremism: investigating missing variables. European International Studies Association Conference, Athens, Greece , 1-4 September 2022.
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War on two fronts: gender and the ethnonationalist state
Johnston, Melissa and Lingham, Jayanthi (2022). War on two fronts: gender and the ethnonationalist state. Australian International Political Economy Network , Brisbane, QLD Australia, 3-4 February 2022.
Other Outputs
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Bring enough cows to marry: Brideprice, conflict, and gender relations in South Sudan
Pospisil, Jan, Johnston, Melissa, Garang, Adut Alaak and Tai, Nyachangkuoth Rambang (2023). Bring enough cows to marry: Brideprice, conflict, and gender relations in South Sudan. Coventry, United Kingdom: University of Coventry.
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Linkages between violent misogyny and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism
Johnston, Melissa and Meger, Sara (2022). Linkages between violent misogyny and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. Vienna, Austria: The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
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Johnston, Melissa, True, Jacqui, Davies, Sara, Riveros-Morales, Yolanda and Phillips, Sara (2020). Mapping the impact of COVID-19 in the Indo-Pacific region II: women, peace and security practitioner views. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Monash University.
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Johnston, Melissa, True, Jacqui, Gordon, Eleanor, Chilmeran, Yasmin and Riveros-Morales, Yolanda (2020). Building a stronger evidence base: a gender sensitive approach to empowering women for peaceful communities. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Monash GPS and UN Women.
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Gender equality and violent extremism: a research agenda for Libya
Johnston, Melissa, True, Jacqui, Benalla, Zineb, Imeina, Abir, Basha, Faiza and El Farsi, Oum Elezz (2019). Gender equality and violent extremism: a research agenda for Libya. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Monash GPS and UN Women.
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Misogyny and violent extremism: implications for preventing violent extremism
Johnston, Melissa and True, Jacqui (2019). Misogyny and violent extremism: implications for preventing violent extremism. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Monash University and UN Women.
Grants (Administered at UQ)
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Brideprice, Conflict, and Violence Against Women in Asia
(2022–2025) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
PhD and MPhil Supervision
Current Supervision
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Matrilineal Societies in the Borderlands
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
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The Politics of Investment De-Risking in Indonesia
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
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PLANNING AND BUDGETING REFORM IN INDONESIA: GOVERNANCE, REGULATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
