{"id":1446,"date":"2026-01-20T09:04:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/?p=1446"},"modified":"2026-01-21T13:39:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:39:29","slug":"abela-dissertation-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/2026\/abela-dissertation-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"Congratulations to Shawn Abela on a successful dissertation defence!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Congratulations to Shawn Abela on a successful dissertation defence!\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                                    \n\n<p>We are excited to share that Shawn Abela has successfully defended his PhD in Ethics and Public Affairs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supervised by Professor Christine Koggel, Abela&#8217;s thesis was titled, &#8216;Sexualized Violence in the Canadian Armed Forces&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Congratulations Shawn!<\/p>\n\n\n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured is PhD student Shawn Abela with his dissertation committee after a successful defence.\" class=\"wp-image-1451\" style=\"width:374px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/167\/2026\/01\/Shawn-Abela-Defence-1-edited-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Read his dissertation abstract below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em class=\"myprefix-text-italic\">&#8220;This dissertation seeks to explore how policymakers and senior leadership within the<br>Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) can more effectively combat issues of sexual violence<br>through ethical reasoning and institutional reform. To achieve this, I have conducted<br>qualitative research using semi-structured interviews with CAF personnel who are<br>professionally responsible for implementing those operations and processes aimed at<br>eliminating sexual violence. These interviews, with what can be described as frontline<br>workers who have direct contact with victims and survivors, have provided me with<br>critical insights into the challenges, barriers and also the opportunities for meaningful<br>policy and cultural change within the institution. My methodological approach uses these<br>interviews to prioritize ethical analysis in its application to institutional reform in and<br>through the integrated three article thesis format. Each article will address a specific<br>dimension of the research problem and speak to the following concerns: exploration of<br>the disconnect between policymakers and primary stakeholders \u2013 those victims and<br>survivors in the CAF; a frank examination of the problems resulting from poorly<br>implemented inclusivity efforts and the friction between institutional norms and pressures<br>resulting from a need for reformation in the CAF; and the need to reposition justice not as<br>formalized recognition of guilt, but as restoration and healing for victims and survivors.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read his dissertation abstract below: &#8220;This dissertation seeks to explore how policymakers and senior leadership within theCanadian Armed Forces (CAF) can more effectively combat issues of sexual violencethrough ethical reasoning and institutional reform. To achieve this, I have conductedqualitative research using semi-structured interviews with CAF personnel who areprofessionally responsible for implementing those operations and processes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":1447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1446"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1456,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1446\/revisions\/1456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/ethics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}