I hold a PhD in International Relations (2021) from the London School of Economics (LSE), and a MA in Political Studies and a BA (High Honours) from the University of Saskatchewan.
My research lies at the nexus of geopolitics, cartography, borders, and nationalism within the former Soviet Union, particularly Ukraine. My interests also include research ethics, and visual, spatial, and digital methods for political science research. I currently teach courses for both undergraduate and postgraduate students on Russian and Eastern European Politics, Political Sociology in the former Communist and Soviet Space, Comparative Government, European Politics and Society, Qualitative Methods, and Research Design. I co-convene the Russian and Eurasian Studies Centre's Monday Seminar Series at St. Antony's College, Oxford.
I am working on several projects related to nationalism, territoriality, and sovereignty at the grassroots in Ukraine. I have recently run public opinion and conjoint experiment surveys with the Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF) and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). I am also working on book monograph, An Imagined Borderland, which explores Ukrainians' understandings of sovereignty and territoriality.
My research has been funded by the John Fell University of Oxford Press Research Fund, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies, and the Shevchenko Foundation of Canada. I was a Deputy Editor for Millennium: Journal of International Studies, vol. 48 and currently sit on the editorial board for Qualitative Research.
Beyond my work, I find great joy in running, cycling, Pilates, yoga, traveling, baking, and hiking.
For more information, see Google Scholar, ORCID, and my complete list of academic and non-academic publications.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Howlett, Marnie. 2024. "Expert comment: 24 months and 8 years later, Ukraine's war for independence continues." University of Oxford News. Available here.
Dill, Janina, Carl Müller-Crepon, and Marnie Howlett. 2023. "At any cost: How Ukrainians think about self-defense against Russia." American Journal of Political Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12832.
Howlett, Marnie, and Valeria Lazerenko. 2023. "How and when should we (not) speak?: Ethical knowledge production about the Russia-Ukraine war." Journal of International Relations and Development. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41268-023-00305-2.
Konken, Lauren, and Marnie Howlett. 2022. "When 'Home' Becomes the 'Field': Ethical Considerations in Digital Remote Fieldwork." Perspectives on Politics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592722002572.
Howlett, Marnie. 2022. "Nation-building from (below) the grassroots: Everyday nationalism in Ukraine's bomb shelters." Nations and Nationalism. DOI: 10.1111/nana.12877.
Howlett, Marnie. 2022. “Looking at the ‘Field’ Through a Zoom Lens: Methodological Reflections on Conducting Online Research During a Global Pandemic.” Qualitative Research 22(3): 387-402. DOI: 10.1177/1468794120985691.
Howlett, Marnie. 2022. “Playing Near the Edge: An Analysis of Ukrainian Border Youths’ Engagement with the Euromaidan.” Problems of Post-Communism 69(2): 206-217. DOI: 10.1080/10758216.2020.1845212.
I have recently provided several expert comments for the University of Oxford. I was also interviewed by the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) at the University of Oxford.