I have a DPhil Education and Development from the University of Sussex and an MSc Gender and Development from the London School of Economics.  I also have an MAT TESOL from the School for International Training and a PGDipEd and BEd from the University of Alberta.

My research interests centre around the politics, sociology and cultural studies of education and learning.  This research focus encompasses the production and regulation of identities (specifically gender, ethnicity, religion, class and nation); the production and regulation of ‘citizens’; 'citizenship' narratives; institutional power, processes and outcomes; inter/intra community relations; social inclusion/exclusion; social cohesion; educational and social mobility and power and resistance in the contexts of socio-economic transition, migration and diaspora.   I also have research and professional interests in ESL, language and literacy education and a specific regional interest in the Middle East and North Africa.

My DPhil research explored how Palestinian youth construct, negotiate and contest their identities in the context of UNRWA refugee camps in south Lebanon. In specific, I explored how Palestinian youth in south Lebanon understand and perform their identities vis-à-vis nation, gender and religion, how the discursive resources of identity are appropriated and articulated in everyday life within the camps and how Palestinian identities in Lebanon have shifted across exilic generations.

Research groups: Educational Diversity, Literacy and Development; Gender and Development; Politics, Governance and the State

Academic publications and technical papers

Fincham, K. (with Dunne, M. and Durrani, N.) 2012. Troubling Muslim Identities: nation, religion and gender. London: Palgrave Macmillan. (in progress)

Fincham, K. 2012. Shifting Youth Identities and Notions of ‘Citizenship’ in the Palestinian Diaspora: the case of Lebanon. In D. Kiwan (ed) Naturalization Policies, Education and Citizenship: Multicultural and Multi-nation Societies in International Perspective. London: Palgrave Macmillan. (submitted)

Fincham, K. 2012. Nationalist Narratives, Boundaries and Social Inclusion/Exclusion in Palestinian Camps in South Lebanon. COMPARE. 42(2): 303-324

Fincham, K. 2012. Learning the Nation in Exile: constructing youth identities, belonging and citizenship in Palestinian refugee camps in south Lebanon. Comparative Education. 48(1): 119-133

Fincham, K. 2010. The Construction of the Palestinian Girl: voices from south Lebanon. Girlhood Studies. 3(1): 34-54(21)

Fincham, K. (with Smith, R.L.) 2010. Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender in Education: A Review of the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report Using an Equity and Inclusion Lens (focus on Marginalization). Technical Paper. UNICEF.

Fincham, K. (with Smith, R.L.) 2009. Transforming Policy and Practice for Gender in Education: A Gender Review of the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report (focus on Governance). Technical Paper. UNICEF.

Fincham, K. (with Asiegbor, I.; Nanang, M.; Gala, E. E. K.; Britwum, A. O.) 2001. Rights and Equity in the Classroom: A Case Study of Classroom Interactions in Basic Schools in Ghana. Evaluation Report. Curriculum Research and Development Division. Ghana Education Service (GES). Government of Ghana (commissioned by UNICEF). 

Recent conference papers

19 November 2010, 'Youth and Competing Narratives of National Belonging: explorations of citizenship in two predominantly Muslim contexts' (with Mairead Dunne and Naureen Durrani), Education and Citizenship in a Globalising World conference. Institute of Education, University of London.

16 July 2010, 'Constructing “Palestinianess” in the Context of Ethno-religious Conflict in South Lebanon', International Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship conference - Education for 'National' Citizenship in the Context of Devolution and Ethno-religious Conflict. Birkbeck College, University of London. 

15 September 2009, 'Learning Palestine: the Construction of Palestinian Identities in Refugee Camps in Lebanon', United Kingdom Forum for International Education and Training (UKFIET) International Conference on Education and Development - Politics, Policies and Progress. University of Oxford.

12 June 2009, 'Shifting Identities in the Palestinian Diaspora: The Case of South Lebanon', Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM) Conference 2009 - Diasporas, Migration and Identities: Crossing Boundaries, New Directions. University of Surrey.

2 April 2009, 'Non-formal Education and the Construction of Palestinian Identities in Lebanon', Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) 19th Annual International Conference - Nationalism and Globalisation. London School of Economics.

25 March 2009, 'Gender Regulation and Resistance among Palestinian Females in South Lebanon', Gender and Education Association (GEA) International Conference - Gender: Regulation and Resistance in Education. Institute of Education, University of London.

5 June 2008, 'Negotiating Identities in Fieldwork: Education Research in Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon', British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE) -Student Conference. University of Sussex.
 

• Faith-based NGOs in Cambodia
• International adoption in the US
• Education and conflict in Nigeria
• Gender and education in China
• Identity and state formation in Bangladesh
• Peace education in Uganda
• Peace education in Israel/Palestine
• Gender frameworks for organisations
• Media and the 'Arab Spring' in Jordan
• Gender and non-formal education in Indonesia
• Education and gender equality in Jordan