Dr Katherine Allen is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Social Justice and Crime at the University of Suffolk. She has cross-disciplinary research experience in sociology, philosophy and literature, with strong research interests in sexual/gender-based violence and the evolution of feminist ending violence movements, feminist and social epistemology, and philosophy of literature, mind and the emotions. Following the completion of her PhD in Philosophy in 2013, Katherine worked in the social care and voluntary sectors, latterly working for a Suffolk-based sexual violence charity. Her experiences working in the sector spurred her to pursue a Masters in Woman and Child Abuse Studies and embark on a primary research project to understand the experiences of women working within the Rape Crisis movement.
You are here
Dr Katherine Allen
Research Fellow
Katherine is primarily a qualitative researcher, with experience in thematic and discursive analyses, and an interest in realist approaches to synthesising literature and conducting evaluations.
Since joining CARe, Katherine has supported the completion of a number of high-impact, practice- and policy- focused projects:
Mapping and unearthing complexity of the funding eco-system for local-level VAWG organisations
A scoping review of refuge models
Research reports and publications:
Allen K., Adisa O., & Tyrrell K., (2020). Evaluation of Suffolk's Domestic Abuse Champions Project. University of Suffolk.
Adisa O. & Allen K., (2020). Supporting more effective health service responses to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: a realist synthesis of self-assessment tools in improving disclosures and help seeking. University of Suffolk.
Adisa O., Allen K., Costello F., Meehan A. (2020). A scoping review of refuge provision models. University of Suffolk.
Allen K. and Adisa O. (2019). Co-production in action: reflections and a recap of the “Safety Nets Re-imagined’ conference. University of Suffolk.
Allen, K. (2016) ‘Review of Charles Danten’s Slaves of our Affection: the Myth of the Happy Pet’. Between the Species, 19 (1).
Allen, K. (2016) ‘Sometimes Death is Better: King, Daedalus, Dragon-Tyrants and Deathism’, in Held, J. (ed.) Stephen King and Philosophy. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 47-70.
Conference presentations and talks:
Allen, K. (2021 – forthcoming) ‘“We need to hold the hope for this”: Feminist epistemology, patriarchal realism and the uses of utopianism’, British Sociological Association 70th Anniversary Virtual Conference.
Allen, K., Adisa, O. & Tyrrell, K. (2020) ‘Evaluation of Suffolk’s Domestic Abuse Champions’, Suffolk Violence and Abuse Partnership Forum.
Adisa, O. Bond, E., Allen, K., Kumari, M. & Weir, R. (2020) ‘Mapping the VAWG funding system’, Roundtable on Funding and Violence Against Women and Girls.
Adisa, O. & Allen, K. (2020) ‘Research briefing: Increasing safety for those experiencing family and intimate relationship harm within black and minority ethnic communities by responding to those who harm’. National Call to Action on Perpetrators call, Drive Partnership.
Allen, K. (2017) ‘Epistemic Injustice and the Rape Crisis Movement’. 2nd European Conference on Domestic Violence, University of Porto.
Allen, K. (2016) ‘Epistemological Emotions, Erotetic Fictions and the Narrative Itch’. Fifth Annual Tennessee Value and Agency Conference (TVA): Pleasure and Pain, University of Tennessee.
Allen, K. (2015) ‘Reviving the Boredom Model’: Why Painful Narrative Genres Pose No Paradox’, IX Inter-University Workshop on Art, Mind and Morality, University of Murcia.
Allen, K. (2014) ‘Sweet Influence: Defending a Cautious Aesthetic Cognitivism’, Leeds Experimental Philosophical Aesthetics Workshop on ‘Narratives and Social Cognition’, University of Leeds.
Katherine is an advisory group member of the Domestic Abuse Research Network (DARNet). She supports the Network’s public engagement and knowledge sharing activities, including the coordination of an upcoming virtual conference series.
Katherine is a Board member at Suffolk Rape Crisis, drawing on her research experience in gender-based violence and feminist philosophy to contribute to the strategic oversight and direction of the organisation.
British Sociological Association
Sexual Violence Research Initiative