A continuum of violence: A gendered analysis of post conflict transformation

Abstract

This study is a critical exploration of the discursive links between gender and security in war and peace. It takes the idea that the post conflict political context provides an opportunity to transform gender relations, and seeks to identify whether this occurs in practice. Considering the emerging norms on gender and security, and that there exists a sophisticated body of feminist literature that addresses the gender bias inherent in traditional approaches to security, this study argues that one would expect peace building approaches and post conflict reconstruction activities to address gender as a central constituent of all policies. Using the DRC as an example, this study finds that Security Sector Reform as a peace building tool falls far short of achieving a transformation of gender relations. Indeed, though security sector reform promises the opportunity to be reflexive of security paradigms that take a militarised and state centric view, it has not proffered any radically different ways of theorising about, or practising security. Therefore, it has left unquestioned the gender ideology embedded in security institutions. This has led to the continuation of a construct of security that not only belies the experiences of women, but gives rise to the gender myths and unequal power relationships that cause GBV. Ultimately, we find that when adding gender to this security framework, as in the case of the DRC, post conflict reconstruction activities that claim to transform gender will always fall short of its transformative potential.

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