Gal Harmat

Gender and Militarism

12 weeks of intensive online learning for peace activists, NGO and INGO workers, trainers, teachers, advisers and consultants, students, and women and men who would like to learn more about these issues. The course offers an introduction to gender studies, and analysis of the complex relationships between gender and social constructions, and gender and militarism. During the course we will explore the interdependency between gender and power and focus on the theory and practices of gender roles in different societies. The course will then focus on militarism, the war system and peace. It will demonstrate a direct connection between militarism and gender base violence; gender based societal positions and violent society through examples from the Middle East, South East Asia, Western and Eastern Europe with emphasis on the Balkans and the US. Gender identity will be examined, via dichotomies such as passivity VS Activity, hero VS Victim (heroism/ victim- hood and victimization), femininities VS masculinities, strong VS weak and peace VS war. It will highlight gender issues related to war such as rape as a tool of war, human and women’ security and protection strategies such as community based security, national and international intervention and peacekeeping operations in relation to gender-based power relationships. The course will further seek to explore how understanding of gender-based social constructions can help in addressing gender inequalities and equities. The required readings for the course are 50 pages per week.

Course Schedule (12 Weeks)

Week 1: Introduction of fundamental principles of gender theories. Anne Minas, Gender Basics: Feminist Perspectives on Women and Men. Pages 2-23. De Beauvoir, Simone. Le Deuxieme Sexe (The Second Sex). Paris, France: Editions Gallimard, 1949.

Week 2: Diagnosis, Prognosis and theory of Militarism - gender and the social order. Ben-Eliezer, Uri The Making of Israeli Militarism. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1998 Hicks-Stiehm, Judith. It's Our Military, Too: Women and the U.S. Military (Women in the Political Economy). Temple University Press,1996. Burk, J, ed. The Military in New Times: Adapting Armed Forces to a Turbulent World. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994.

Week 3: Gender and Feminist theories - Gender Division of Power. Johnson, Allan G. Privilege, Power and Difference McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2001. Chapter 1 and 2.

Week 4: Sexism and its Interdependency with Militarism: Case studies. Hartsock, Nancy. ‘asculinity, Heroism, and the Making of War.’In Rocking the Ship of State, eds. Harris, A. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1989. Chapkis, Wendy, ‘Sexuality and Militarism.’ In Women in the Military System, ed. E. Isaksson. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

Week 5: Young fighters: Indoctrination into Gendered roles and Militarism during childhood in formal and informal education systems. Gor, Haggith. ‘Education for War in Israel: Preparing Children to Accept War as a Natural Factor of Life.’ In Education as Enforcement, The Militarization and Corporatisation (?) of Schools, eds. Saltman, K. J. and Gabbard, D. A. New York: Routledge, 2003. Cockburn, Cyntia. ‘Teaching Under Pressure: Looking at Primary Teachers’ Stress.’ In The Gendered Dynamics of Armed Conflict and Political Violence. Routledge Falmer, 1996.

Week 6: The War System and other Alternatives: Civil Disobedience and women Refusal to Military Service. Goldstein, Joshua. War and Gender, How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Breines, Ingeborg, Dorota Gierycz and Betty Reardon, Towards a Women’s Agenda for a Culture of Peace. Paris: UNESCO, 1999.

Week 7: International Law and Human (women’s) Security - CEDAW/ 1325. United Nations. UN Resolution 1325. Reardon Betty. Women and Peace: Feminist Visions of Global Security. Albany, NY: State of New York Press, 1993. Chapter 1 and 2

Week 8: Internalizing the Oppression - Kings and Queens in Modern Life. Enloe, Cynthia Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1989. Chapter 1 and 2

Week 9: Human and Women’s Protection: Human Security, Rape as a Tool of War, Piece (or Peace?) of dignity and Peace Keeping Operations. Enloe, Cynthia Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1989. Chapter 3 and 4

Week 10: Dichotomized Myths about Men and Women in Gendered Militaries. York, Judy. ‘The Truth about Women and Peace.’ In Women and War Reader, ed. Jennifer Turpin. New York: New York university Press, 1998. D-Amico, Francine. ‘Feminist Perspective on Women Worriers.’ In Women and War Reader, ed. Jennifer Turpin. New York: NY University Press, 1998.

Week 11: Myths and Women’s Civilian Life. Feinnan, I. R. ‘Women Warrior/Peace Makers: Until the Real Feminists Please Stand Up.’ Women and Peace Reader, ed. Turpin J. New York: New York University press, 1998.

Week 12: Reshaping the Future: Planning future in unity and equity. Klein, Uta. ‘The Contribution of the Military and Military Discourse to the Construction of Masculine (?) Society.’ Delivered at the Seminar: Men and Violence Against Women. COE, Strasbourg, 7-8 October 1999.

If you have questions or would like to receive further information about the course and how it might relate to your work and interests please do not hesitate to contact me Gal Harmat harmat@transcend.org

If you have colleagues or members of your organization, agency or partner organizations that you believe may benefit from this course, please forward this announcement to them.

www.transcend.org/tpu

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