Gender, War, and Militarism

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary seminar uses feminist theory to critically examine the ways in which war and militarism are deeply gendered. We will look at women's experiences of armed conflict across the world, but also the militarization of everyday life and the politics of gender within various military structures, both in the US and abroad. We will also examine the differential ways that men and women are affected by the war system and will consider the role of women and gender norms in peace and anti-militarism movements. This course focuses on women who actively participate in and/or support war, as well as those who actively oppose war and mobilize for peace. It also considers the experiences of those who become victims of the war system. Given that men and militarized understandings of masculinity play such a prominent role in warfare, the course will also explore the ways that masculine gender norms have been used to perpetuate cultures of war. Students can expect to engage with a variety of different types of texts: documentaries, feature films, memoirs, novels, newspapers, scholarly books and articles.