Women as Perpetrators of War

by Michelle . · 2009-08-22 14:47:00 UTC
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War-mongering often seems to be a testosterone-driven activity. The chief actors, participants, and those who end up slapped with war crimes charges are overwhelmingly male. But, not entirely:

Twenty seven women received prison sentences this week for their participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. (They are not the first women convicted, of course.) The women were found guilty of stoning to death Tutsis who sought refuge at a local church.

The role of women as perpetrators of genocide and mass atrocity is, I think, an overlooked sub-genre in peace and conflict studies. I've never ventured much into women's studies or feminist theory, but I do think it would be interesting to look at what motivates female vs. male perpetrators. Do motivations differ? In cases like Rwanda, which had popular participation in killing, why do more men sign up than women? Are the answers psychological, cultural, or another manifestation of pre-existing gender dynamics? (Likely some combination, I'd imagine.)

I attended a talk on demobilizing Liberia's women soldiers recently, and a panelist said that 35% of Liberia's militants, across all parties of the conflict, were women. Unquestioned assumptions of a larger gender imbalance led to women being largely overlooked by demobilization programs until the very end. Are there similar problems elsewhere?

(If anyone knows of good reading materials on this subject, please share.)

[Photo of rebel militia in Liberia.]

Michelle . has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns.
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