Feminist work in International Relations, Security Studies, and Peace Studies has encouraged us to see war as fought through and in the lives of ordinary people, and to understand that those experiences differ on the basis of sex. As I have stated elsewhere, “gender analysis is necessary, conceptually, for understanding international security, important for analyzing causes and predicting outcomes, and essential to thinking about solutions and promoting positive change in the security realm. In this essay I argue that feminist theorizing of peace suggests a number of transformative observations. First, feminist perspectives focus a critical lens on the meaning of peace, often making invisible violence visible. Second, feminist perspectives help to critically interrogate the role of the United States in furthering “peace” in the international arena. Finally, feminist perspectives make different theoretical and policy prescriptions than perspectives that omit gender from their analyses.
To read or purchase the full text of this article, click here.
More in this issue
Summer 2013 (27.2) • Feature
Peace as a Transnational Theme
To consider war and peace purely in the context of international relations is insufficient, even anachronistic. What we need is less an international than a ...
Summer 2013 (27.2) • Review Essay
The Arab Spring Two Years On: Reflections on Dignity, Democracy, and Devotion
The demise of long-standing dictators has shaken the foundations of authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa.
Summer 2013 (27.2) • Essay
Building Common Ground: Going Beyond the Liberal Conundrum
To stay viable as a political ideology, liberalism needs to show that it can remain true to its universal norms while being responsive to cultural ...