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War from within: a Feminist Understanding

Militarism and war are profoundly gendered. Women experience the violence of war in a gender-specific and often sexualized form. Their characteristic responsibility for care of the young, the old and the less able makes war and post-war periods acutely challenging. Women often organize in women's organizations to prevent or terminate war. These experiences often generate a feminist understanding of war that differs from the mainstream analysis current in sociology and international relations. In this lecture Cynthia Cockburn will draw on her recently published study of women's organizations worldwide opposing militarism and war to suggest that many women see gender power relations as one of the motors that perpetuate armed conflict.

Cynthia Cockburn is Visiting Professor at City University, London, and active in the anti-militarist network, Women in Black. Some of the things that have been said about her are that she is ‘one of the most valuable and innovative thinkers/activists/writers helping us all to make sense of women’s myriad forms of resistance to war and militarism.’ (Cynthia Enloe) She is ‘one of the best gender researchers in the world’ (Raewyn Connell)

The lecture is free of charge and all are welcome to attend.

This event is organised by the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender