Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding

About

War, peace, security, and other global issues have been deeply gendered throughout history. Globally, gender is one of the crucial factors that determine who is most vulnerable to abuse and violated during wars, who commands authority and respect and who is marginalised, and who gets access to basic amenities and who does not. Gender is also a determinant of who is involved in framing the debates around peace and security both domestically and internationally. Basic conditions of people’s lives are often shaped by their sexual or gender identity. This course explains what this means in theory and practice, and why it is important. The course introduces students to the gendered nature of global issues such as conflict, peacebuilding, humanitarian action, and development. More specifically, the course aims to develop and strengthen the awareness and understanding of women’s involvement in war, peace, and security-related issues. Some of the topics that will be covered in this course include gender dimensions of armed conflicts, child soldiers, gender implications of armed conflicts, women’s involvement in peacebuilding practice, Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR).

Course leader

Esther Beckley – International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)

Target group

This is course is appropriate for students of International Relations, Development, Humanitarian Action, and Peace and Conflict studies. Students who are not from these disciplines are also welcome to participate in the course if they are interested in broadening their horizons on the gender dimensions of global issues.

Course aim

At the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Understand the dynamic nature of war and its impacts on women and girls.
• Reflect critically on feminists’ perspectives on war, peace, and security.
• Practice applying a gender lens to peace processes and conflict resolution.
• Examine and critique existing approaches to gender and peacebuilding.
• Develop a gender-sensitive and analytical mindset, as well as oral skills to confidently discuss global issues.

Fee info