Women, Security, Peace and Conflict in South Asia

Citation:

Kumar Singh, Dinesh. 2010. “Women, Security, Peace and Conflict in South Asia.” The Indian Journal of Political Science 71 (2): 651-61.

Author: Dinesh Kumar Singh

Abstract:

The present article attempts to contextualize a discourse on security, peace and conflict from feminist perspectives. It also attempts to revisit the patriarchal theoretical traditions and scrutinize its fallacious understanding of these issues. The feminist perspectives demands for democratisefion and féminisation of security and peace agenda. They maintain that conflict and peace are gendered activities. The dominant conflict, peace and security discourses ignore disempowered women's perspectives. Women's role and responses in conflict and peace are different. This paper provides insights into women's narratives of peace, conflict and security in South Asia. It explores the operation of gender hierarchy and resistance to it, the nature of changing space i.e. the space disempowered women created for themselves and the space that was denied tothem.lt also maps role of women 's agency as well as their language of resistance and empowerment in conflict in South Asia.

The feminist perspectives and peace studies research have challenged dominant discourse of peace and security. They have advocated for redefinition of security and peace. They tend to view the notion of peace and security from the perspective of disadvantaged and disempowered women.

Topics: Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equality/Inequality, Peace and Security, Peace Processes, Security Regions: Asia, South Asia

Year: 2010