Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the relationship between peace processes, gender equality, and communication by introducing feminist and intersectional approaches as tools to assess and deconstruct underlying power structures. The author argues for a human rights-based approach to gender equality and a deconstruction of essentialist understandings of “women,” calling for a perspective on peace that is responsive to the experiences of minorities and the marginalized. The chapter seeks to outline ways for individuals and groups to engage around the topics of power, oppression, and marginalization, and to create space for a more inclusive dialogue as the basis for a peace culture. Coeducation, the media, and a change in discussion culture are established as essential in creating a peace culture that allows all individuals to live empowered and fulfilling lives in a peaceful society void of structural violence, regardless of their gender, race, class, or sexual orientation.
TopIntroduction
The connection between women’s human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent – Mahnaz Afkhami (2000), founder and president of the Women’s Learning Partnership, former minister for Women’s Affairs in Iran and lifetime advocate for the rights of women.
This chapter explores the relationship between promoting peace and fostering dialogue on the individual, communal and societal levels. It focuses on how feminist and intersectional perspectives can provide a valuable tool for examining power structures as well as promoting more peaceful forms of social interaction.
In order to promote equality and peace within and among societies, listening and caring are introduced as human values constituting the foundation of all peace building efforts as it is these practices that lead to an improved understanding of each other’s needs and challenges. Furthermore, listening and communication are believed to help identify which actions should be taken to allow all individuals of a society to live just and fulfilling lives and to maintain healthy and sustainable institutional and ecological systems.
The objective of the chapter is to outline a way for individuals and groups to engage with each other around the heated topics of power, oppression and marginalization. It argues that there is a relationship between the lack of understanding of the processes of marginalization as well as the lived experiences of marginalized people and the (re)production of social differences on the individual and systemic levels. It argues, further, that the dialogue around peace is largely male-dominated and blind to the experiences of minorities and all those who are marginalized. By contrast, this chapter builds its line of argumentation on a human-rights based approach that seeks to be more inclusive in all processes. This is not because this inclusion fulfils an opportunistic role by adding minorities to improve an institution’s image. Nor is this approach being taken out of a narrowly functionalist belief that all women are ‘naturally better at peace negotiation’, but because women make up half of the population and are directly and naturally affected by all social, economic and political decisions and should therefore be included in all processes leading up to the outcomes. This is believed to also have a significant impact on gender roles and stereotypes, including introducing care as a human, rather than “just” a female, value.
Three potential opportunities to create a more inclusive dialogue around peace perspectives and promotion are introduced, namely:
- 1.
Coeducation: Introducing coeducation, here referring to education seeking to eliminate gender hierarchies, which is mindful of and specifically teaches about privilege, social exclusion, and power structures, into the official school curriculum. This also includes teaching about caring and listening as human instead of gender values.
- 2.
Media: Establishing media that is representative of and inclusive to all members of society, which includes inviting individuals, authors, activists and experts with different viewpoints, opinions and backgrounds regarding gender, ethnicity, social class and sexual orientation among others. This also implies rejecting misrepresentations of minorities, particularly those that perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
- 3.
Establishing a Culture of Discussion: Fostering a discussion culture that creates space for all voices to be heard, including voices that offer viewpoints contrary to the status quo and introducing an intersectional approach to all discussion, including discussions around peace and security.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Coeducation: Coeducation refers to the type of education that specifically aims to eliminate gender hierarchies by deconstructing sexist gender roles and gender stereotypes that continue to dictate how “men” and “women” ought to act.
Power: Within this chapter, power is understood as a type of forceful dominance over others that impedes the empowerment of individuals and groups. It is evident not only in situations of blatant imbalances of power, but also comes into force through underlying power structures that (re)produce social, political, or economic barriers for marginalized or disadvantaged people to participate in decision making.
Caring: Caring as both a value and an activity refers to looking after the needs of oneself and others and sharing with and relating to others and nature. Historically, caring has been perceived as a gender trait rather than a human value as a direct result of traditionally assigning caring roles to women.
Intersectionality: Intersectionality is the concept that refers to the interconnectedness of the multiple dimensions of social relationships and power. The power structures underlying social differences such as gender, class, age, ethnicity and others between and among men and women have the potential to reinforce each other, creating dynamic situations of inclusion and exclusion. It also helps to explain how someone can hold privilege in some aspects of their life, while be disadvantaged in others.
Gender Mainstreaming: Gender mainstreaming refers to making gender equality a focus of attention in policymaking and program planning. It is based on the argument that the lived experiences of women—including their needs, perspectives and contributions—are vital in designing inclusive and effective programs and initiatives and when evaluating their effectiveness.
Peace Culture: Peace culture refers to an ideal way of interacting and communicating with and relating to others in a society that is void of oppressive power structures and supports all individuals in living empowered, just, and peaceful lives.
Empowerment: Empowerment describes the process in which people who have been denied decision making power acquire such an ability. It consists of the three interconnected dimensions of agency, resources and achievements. The extent of people’s opportunities which can be understood as the potential for living the lives they want is defined by agency, namely the process through which decisions are made and put into effect, and resources. The extent to which that potential is realized refers to achievements. Together, these three dimensions determine how empowered an individual or a group is and how much of the decision affecting their own lives they get to make. However, it is important to distinguish between empowerment and power, as the former refers to the ability to make choices affecting one’s own life, while the latter refers to the ability to make choices over others.
Listening: In the context of this chapter, listening refers to an active form of engaging with the experiences of marginalized and disadvantaged people not only by providing a platform on which diverse voices can be heard, but by recognizing them as valuable contributions to the discussion and as a basis for decision making that is inclusive of all members of society.