Event details

When: Tuesday 15 July, 11am–12pm
Where: Burwood Campus (C2.05.01) or online (via Zoom)
Register now to attend in-person or online.

How do communities rebuild after conflict? What does healing look like when trauma is collective and the path forward is uncertain?

Join us for the next ADI Lunchtime Seminar on Tuesday 15 July, where we explore these questions through the lens of the Maranao community in the Philippines. This seminar will delve into the lived experiences of child soldiers, the socio-political aftermath of the 2017 Marawi siege and the remarkable resilience of small business owners—many of them women—who are driving grassroots recovery.

Featuring insights from Dr Sittie Akima A. Ali and Dr Safa D. Manala-O (MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology), this seminar offers a rare opportunity to engage with field-based research on conflict, resistance and economic rebuilding.

Whether you're a researcher, policymaker, student, or simply curious about how communities transform trauma into strength, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

About ADI’s Lunchtime Seminars

ADI lunchtime seminars are relaxed, informal monthly discussions on current research projects and publications. Each session features a 20-30 minute talk followed by a Q&A.

We welcome contributions from all researchers affiliated with ADI—from early-stage ideas to completed projects. Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are especially encouraged to present. If you're interested, please contact ciara.barker@deakin.edu.au and mark.duckworth@deakin.edu.au.

This Month’s Focus

This presentation explores the layered impacts of the 2017 Marawi siege through lived experiences – first, of child soldiers who participated, second, the socio, cultural and political effects on the Maranao community, and third, of small business owners struggling to rebuild their enterprises. In the first segment, Dr Ali will share insights on the recruitment and eventual separation of child soldiers in Lanao, a region in southern Philippines with long history of resistance and militant conflict, revealing how cycles of conflict, family and peer ties, and ideologies influence Maranao children participation in armed groups. She will also describe the repercussions that took place and affected the community as a result of the siege. Based on fieldwork and local testimonies, she highlights the importance of culturally grounded reintegration and peace education efforts.

In the second segment, Dr Manala-O refocuses the talk on recovery and economic resilience of post-conflict small businesses that are considered as an economic lifeblood of the community. From small retailers to home-based food businesses, Maranao entrepreneurs – many of them women – play a powerful role in restoring livelihoods, generating employment, and reviving the local marketplace. Their contributions also extend financial security to both core and extended family members, allowing them to resume education, spend on healthcare and give in charity. These grassroots efforts are central to the socio-economic rebuilding of communities with implications on the complete cessation or return to armed conflict.

Both talks will hope to offer narratives on conflict and recovery – how communities resist erasure, reclaim their agency, and utilize trauma to gain strength.

Speaker Bios

Dr Sittie Akima A. Ali will be talking about recruitment and separation of child soldiers in Lanao. This is a topic that she has researched and published on and is passionate about presenting, especially to those interested in conflicts and extremism. Dr Ali is a faculty of the Department of Political Science, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. Her research interests include violent extremism, peace education, public policy, and public administration.

Dr Safa D. Manala-O will be presenting part of her dissertation that explores the economic rebuilding and contributions of small businesses in post-conflict Marawi city. She focuses on the micro-economic aspect of community building and development after man-made conflict. Dr Manala-O is a faculty of the Department of Business and Innovation, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology. Her research interests include conflict and post-conflict entrepreneurship, and consumer behavior.