Gender

Citation:

Engels, Bettina. 2004. “Rape and Constructions of Masculinity and Femininity.” Politikon: The IAPSS Journal, no. 8, 59-70.

Author: Bettina Engels

Abstract:

With her paper Rape as a War Crime (Politikon 6/2003, p. 55-69), Andrea Theocharis has put an issue on the agenda, which has long been missing in Politikon’s discussions. [Engels is] grateful to Andrea for starting an important debate, which [Engels] would like to continue by giving some remarks to her contribution focusing on the gender constructionist dimension of rape in violent conflicts. Agreeing with Andrea, [Engels] will argue that rape and sexual violence are not only systematic and strategic weapons in violent conflicts but gendered crimes which cannot be analyzed appropriately without theorizing social and cultural constructions of masculinity and femininity. [Engels] will outline how gender-blind approaches fail to meet the issue of rape in violent conflicts. By mentioning some exemplary empirical figures, [Engels] will show that rape in violent conflicts is neither a new phenomena nor can it be considered a by-product of war. It must be emphasized that rape is not an act of sexuality but a crime against human physical and psychical integrity. [Engels] will discuss gender-sensitive approaches, which analyze rape in violent conflicts. Special attention will be paid to the view of rape as an act of male violence against women, which has also been outlined by Andrea. [Engels] will then focus on the construction of hegemonic masculinity and the widely ignored fact that also men are victims of rape and sexual torture in violent conflicts. [Engels] will conclude with emphasizing that constructions of femininity and masculinity are integral to violent conflicts in general and to rape and sexual violence in particular. If mainstream conflict analysis continues to ignore the dimensions of gender constructions, it will fail to meet its subject appropriately.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Femininity/ies, Gendered Power Relations, Justice, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes, Sexual Violence, Male Perpetrators, Rape, SV against Men

Year: 2004

Citation:

Kinsella, Helen M. 2006. “Gendering Grotius Sex and Sex Difference in the Laws of War.” Political Theory 34 (2): 161-91.

Author: Helen M. Kinsella

Abstract:

I construct a genealogy of the principle of distinction; the injunction to distinguish between combatants and civilians at all times during war. I outline the influence of a series of discourses–gender, innocence, and civilization–on these two categories. I focus on the emergence of the distinction in the seventeenth-century text "On the Law of War and Peace," authored by Hugo Grotius, and trace it through the twentieth-century treaties of the laws of war–the 1949 Geneva Protocols and the 1977 Protocols Additional. I draw out how the practices of and referents for our current wars partially descend from and are governed by the binary logics of Christianity, barbarism, innocence, guilt, and sex difference articulated in Grotius's text. These binaries are implicated in our contemporary distinction of "combatant" and "civilian," troubling any facile notion of what "humanitarian" law is or what "humanitarian" law does, and posing distinct challenges to theorizations of the laws said to regulate war.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Combatants, Gender, International Law, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Religion, Violence

Year: 2006

Citation:

Buvinic, Mayra. 1999. Hurricane Mitch: Women’s Needs and Contributions. Washington, DC: Women in Development Program Unit, Inter-American Development Bank.

Author: Mayra Buvinic

Annotation:

This report examines evidence from post-Mitch Central America and disasters in other parts of the world to identify the ways disasters affect women and to highlight women’s participation in prevention, relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts. It attempts to fill a void in the knowledge regarding people’s responses to disasters in the region, by exploring the gender dimension and providing general guidelines for integrating a gender perspective in effective disaster management. The report was prepared for and presented at the meeting of the Consultative Group for the Reconstruction and Transformation of Central America which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, May 25-27, 1999. It is based on a technical meeting attended by international and government agencies and NGOs which was held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, May 6-7, 1999.

Topics: Environmental Disasters, Gender, Women, Humanitarian Assistance Regions: Americas, Central America

Year: 1999

Citation:

Ali, Farhana, and Jerrold Post. 2008. “The History and Evolution of Martyrdom in the Service of Defensive Jihad: An Analysis of Suicide Bombers in Current Conflicts.” Social Research 75 (2): 615-54.

Authors: Farhana Ali, Jerrold Post

Abstract:

This paper explores the transformation of martyrdom, a legitimate Islamic concept, into suicide terrorism. The authors argue that the original application, meaning, and glory of martyrs (shahid) in Islam is violated by extremists' use of suicide terrorism that is being justified with the misappropriation of Islamic principles, narratives, and themes. That extremists are able to redefine martrydom and jihad--two terms that are hotly debated and a source of controversy in the Muslim world--creates not only tension among the West and Muslims, but seeks to strip Islam of its true authenticity. The question of how to restore the fundamental values of classical Islam as well as the need to revive Islam in an effort to marginalize, if not eradicate, extremists is beginning to occur on a global scale. However, reversing the extremist ideology and strengthening moderate Islam will require a sustained effort and coordination among various Islamic groups, communities and countries to have a lasting effect in defeating suicide terrorists.

Topics: Gender, Women, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Non-State Armed Groups, Religion, Terrorism

Year: 2008

Citation:

Delano, Page Dougherty. 2000. “Making Up for War: Sexuality and Citizenship in Wartime Culture.” Feminist Studies 26 (1): 33–68.

Author: Page Dougherty Delano

Topics: Armed Conflict, Citizenship, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Masculinity/ies, Femininity/ies, Sexuality Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 2000

Citation:

Aroussi, Sahla. 2009. “Women, Peace and Security: Moving Beyond Feminist Pacifism.” Paper presented at Political Studies Association (UK) Annual Conference, Manchester, April 7-9.

Author: Sahla Aroussi

Abstract:

Many feminists have long rejected the argument of women's inherent pacifism as problematic and counterproductive. Yet, this notion has noticeably resurfaced within the current literature on women in conflict and peacebuilding especially after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Feminists writing within these areas have represented women as mythical peacebuilders and romanticised their contributions to peace. They have also overemphasisied the existence of a common, feminist, socialist, pacifist agenda and overstated accounts of women's victimisation at the hands of violent and bellicose masculinity. The perisistence of such concepts arguably reinforces the hierarchical gender dichotomies regarding masculinity and femininity and as such sustains militarism, violence against women, inequality and the exclusion of women from the area of peace and security.

This paper will critique examples of current literature where the stereotype of feminist pacifism is to be found and explore some of the reasons behind the continued adherence to such idea. The paper argues that if we disconnect femininity from peace we would dismantle a major source of militarism. Deconstructing the stereotypes surrounding femininity and masculinity and the rejection of all kinds of biological explanations for gender behavioural differences in war and peace are necessary conditions for achieving equality and possibly peace.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Feminisms, Gender, Women, Peace Processes, Security

Year: 2009

Citation:

Chew, Lin, and Kavita N. Ramdas. 2005. Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women. San Francisco: The Global Fund for Women.

Authors: Lin Chew, Kavita N. Ramdas

Annotation:

The authors offer an overview of the ways in which women are uniquely vulnerable during disaster recovery, before giving several remedial recommendations. Women face a variety of challenges: they are more susceptible to violence, do not receive adequate health care, are economically vulnerable, and are not given a say in reconstruction efforts. Thus, Chew and Ramdas state, the current male-dominated reconstruction systems are inadequate and even harmful to women. This can be fixed by allowing women to be involved in planning and decision-making. Women’s special needs should be taken into consideration, and efforts should be made to make them more self-sufficient and educated. The authors focus here on women's vulnerabilities rather than their accomplishments in the face of disasters, putting them in the stereotypical “victim” role. This is nevertheless a useful summary of the challenges that women face and the steps that can be taken to mitigate such challenges.

Topics: Environmental Disasters, Gender, Women, Gender Equality/Inequality, Humanitarian Assistance

Year: 2005

Citation:

Enarson, Elaine. 2000. "Gender and Natural Disasters." Working Paper 1, International Labour Organization Recovery and Reconstruction Unit, Geneva, Switzerland.

Author: Elaine Enarson

Topics: Economies, Environment, Environmental Disasters, Gender, Women, Gender Analysis, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equity, Humanitarian Assistance, International Organizations, Livelihoods, NGOs

Year: 2000

Citation:

Lazarus-Black, Mindie, and Sally Engle Merry. 2003. “The Politics of Gender Violence: Law Reform in Local and Global Places.” Law & Social Inquiry 28 (4): 931-9.

Authors: Mindie Lazarus-Black, Sally Engle Merry

Abstract:

The end of the millennium has witnessed an enormous expansion in discourses, intervention practices, and social movements opposing violence against women. Not only does this development affect familial and gender inequalities, but it also reshapes the relationships among communities, states, and the global order. This symposium examines these changing relationships by considering how new discourses, laws, and practices about gender violence between intimates develop through local, national, and global processes. It explores local situations from a global perspective and global processes from a local perspective. Thus, it examines the local-global interface in the creation and implementation of social reforms concerning violence against women. We use the case of violence against women because it offers an excellent vantage point for analyzing the creation of an emerging global system of law based in human rights and assessing its impact on local and national laws and practices. It also offers a site to examine how local actors reformulate the content and meaning of global reform discourses. The articles track actors from local to international settings and back again as they negotiate the application of law to violence against women. This symposium is unusual in its effort to develop theoretical perspectives that consider the relationships between gender violence and the processes of nationalism and globalization. It brings together scholars who have studied efforts to combat violence between intimates in different nations. The authors' empirical ethnographic research merges a local perspective with broader studies of national and global actors and institutions.

Topics: Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Globalization, International Law, International Human Rights, Nationalism, Rights, Human Rights

Year: 2003

Citation:

Enarson, Elaine. 2001. “Gender Equality, Environmental Management, and Natural Disaster Mitigation.” Paper presented at the Expert Group Meeting on Environmental Management and the Mitigation of Natural Disasters: a Gender Perspective, Ankara, Turkey, November 6-9.

Author: Elaine Enarson

Annotation:

This report summarizes the discussions and conclusions of a six-week online conference in which 224 participants from around the world took part. The conference focused on five themes: gender myths and realities in disasters; ways in which women manage and use environmental resources; women’s and men’s coping strategies in the face of natural disasters; ways in which disasters can be used for social change; and methods for integrating gender equality into disaster prevention and development initiatives. Participants noted the important roles that women play during disasters and concerning the environment in general, and they asserted that women’s voices should be promoted in this field. They offer several examples of successful and failed strategies, and assert that education is key for promoting women’s participation. The conference ends with three knowledge gaps and three goals for further integrating gender into disaster and development issues.

Topics: Development, Environment, Environmental Disasters, Gender, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Humanitarian Assistance

Year: 2001