PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, University of New Brunswick (2017)
MA, Women’s Studies, University of Ottawa (2010)
Theology, Saint Paul University (2009)

Biography

Jessi Taylor is a queer feminist interested in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding violence, international relations and security studies, and feminist analyses of terrorism. Her research focuses on religious and sexual violence in conflict zones.  She holds a PhD from the University of New Brunswick in Interdisciplinary Studies, looking at religious and sexualized violence in the Bosnian War and in particular where these forms of violence intersect, and what she calls their ‘miscible’ quality.  Jessi’s current research is looking at forced conversions and state legitimacy, symbolic violence, and complicity of the international community in the use of sexual violence and the Bosnian War.

Her background is in gender studies and theology, studying at the Graduate Theological Union, the University of Ottawa, and Saint Paul University.  She is interested in queer and feminist organizing during and after conflict, religious feminisms, and activism in Canada especially sex worker’s rights, reproductive justice, sex positive initiatives, and harm reduction, and feminist sci-fi and comics.

Outside of academia, she is an educator and activist.  Working in New Brunswick, Jessi was a sex educator and helped to build up sexual health programming throughout the province and helped to produce the New Brunswick based sexual health tv series Sex Positive.  Jessi was the Media Spokesperson for Reproductive Justice New Brunswick during its successful campaign to open the first crowdsourced clinic in North America, Clinic 554.  Currently, she does work with both the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture and the SWAN Society of Vancouver.

Research

I am currently looking at religious and sexualized violence in the Bosnian War and in particular where these forms of violence intersect and what I call their ‘miscible’ quality.

I am also working on topics related to forced conversions and state legitimacy, symbolic violence, and complicity of the international community in the use of sexual violence and the Bosnian War.

Selected Publications

Taylor, Jessica. “Come and See What God Has Done”: Religious Violence and Sexual Violence in the Bosnian War, 1992-1995.  University of New Brunswick: Fredericton, 2017.

Sex Positive. (Writer and Host, 4-Episodes) Rogers Community Access Television: New Brunswick. Fall 2016

Taylor, Jessica. “Screwing the System, Changing the Game: Reproductive Justice in New Brunswick” Abortion Rights Network Blog. November 2015

Taylor, Jessica. “Marš Mira: A 109 Km Hike to Commemorate the Victims of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide” Studeamus bellum causa pacis: Gregg Center for War and Society. (October 19, 2015) http://blogs.unb.ca/greggcentre/2015/10/19/mars-mira-a-109-km-hike-to-commemorate-the-victims-of-the-1995-srebrenica-genocide/#sthash.dfxgW3pJ.dpuf

Taylor Jessica. Unholy Coercion: The Complicity of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Use of Rape as a War Tactic University of Ottawa: Ottawa 2010 https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/28724?locale=fr

Social Science and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Scholarship (Sept 2016)|New Brunswick Social Innovation Scholarship, New Brunswick Innovation Fund (Sept 2016)|UNB Graduate Bursary, University of New Brunswick (Jan 2016)|New Brunswick Social Innovation Scholarship, New Brunswick Innovation Fund (Sept 2014)|Dean’s Scholarship, University of Ottawa (Oct 2010)

Dr. Jessi Taylor is a queer feminist interested in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding violence, international relations and security studies, and feminist analyses of terrorism.  Her research focuses on religious and sexual violence in conflict zones.  She is interested in queer and feminist organizing during and after conflict, religious feminisms, and activism in Canada, especially regarding sex worker’s rights, reproductive justice, and harm reduction.  Outside academia, she is an experienced sex educator and reproductive justice activist.