Peace Work: Women, Armed Conflict and Negotiation

It is now widely recognised that women are uniquely affected by war and violence—their traditional role as ‘nurturers’ of the family suffers strain; their bodies become sites for the expression of hatred and revenge; their subordinate positions in everyday life render them especially vulnerable. Increasingly, women are also drawn into conflict as active participants—as soldiers in war, as guerillas in subversive movements. In post-conflict scenarios, however, the presence of women is almost negligible. The essays in this volume explore the multiple ways in which women relate with war and peace, assessing their participation and unravelling their potential for shaping a more stable and peaceful social structure. It book also addresses the need to understand both the in-depth reality of each conflict site—Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Japan, Ireland Yugoslavia, South Africa, the Indian subcontinent—and also the experiences of women peace-workers across these different sites.