Made for Goodness? Women, Ethnic Conflict, and Reconciliation

Abstract

Drawing on basic concepts of gender studies, Carolina Rehrmann traces the potential of women and women’s associations for conflict transformation and reconciliation. She starts with a critical review of the masculinist bias in traditional approaches to conflict resolution that disregard gender’s potential to explain and resolve conflict. Seeing male and female roles in a dialectic reference to one another and tracing their impact on all levels of social and political life is (1) crucial for understanding conflict risk and conflict structures, and (2) illuminates the potential of women’s engagement for transethnic and cross-ethnic dialogue, trauma reprocessing, and reconciliation. Rehrmann presents case studies of women’s activism in (post) conflict settings—Cyprus in particular—illustrating success in challenging traditional patriarchal structures, nationalist affiliations, and ‘natural’ gender roles.