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Delve into theories, challenges, and roles of women in nationalist movements, analyzing how gender intertwines with nationalism in case studies.
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PO377 Ethnic Conflict and Political Violence Week 9 Seminar: Gender and Nationalism
Seminar Questions • What are the main elements of theories about gender and nationalism? • How have gender and nationalism intersected in our case study conflicts? • What are some of the opportunities and constraints facing women who participate in nationalist movements?
Feminist Approaches to Nationalism • ‘Gender cannot be analysed outside of ethnic, national and “race” relations; but neither can these latter phenomena be analysed without gender. It is not a case of simply adding these two sets of analyses together; but rather that they mutually affect each other in a dynamic relationship’ (Walby 1996).
Feminist Approaches to Nationalism (2) Gender in nationalism and ideas of nationhood • ‘[T]he nation never just is, anymore than the state just is. Nationality and citizenship, like race and ethnicity, are unstable categories, and contested identities. They are all gendered identities, and the constructions of “women”, inside and outside their borders, are part of the processes of identity formation’ (Pettman 1996). • The nation is frequently figured as a woman and women are constructed as bearers of the nation. • Constructions of nationhood involve notions of masculinity and femininity.
Feminist Approaches to Nationalism (3) • Reproduction is highly significant to nationalist movements and identity constructions; reproduction is politicised and motherhood militarised: ‘demographic race’. • Constructions of masculinity as integrally linked to warriorhood are also extremely significant. • Women’s appearance and behaviour subject to nationalist movement (state and non-state) political and socio-cultural objectives.
Feminist Approaches to Nationalism (5) • Two models of revolution and constructions of national identity: • modernising, incl. ideas of equality and women’s emancipation: Women’s Emancipation model. • form viewing cultural identity and integrity as strongly dependent upon proper behaviour of women: Woman-in-the-Family model. (Moghadam 1993.) • Clashes between models: ‘patriarchal backlash’ (Kandiyoti 1991).
Question for discussion • How have gender and nationalism intersected in our case study conflicts? • Break into four groups. Each group discusses one of our four case studies. • What examples can you think of to illustrate the intersection of nationalism with gendered expectations? Do the competing nationalisms in each case study have the same gendered expectations, or are there different manifestations? • Come back together and share your knowledge.
