For anti-war feminists the Cold War exposed the extent to which elites across the political spectrum united to justify the accumulation of greater and more destructive stockpiles of weapons on the basis of ‘national security’. How could the dominant narrative – that weapons advance security rather than increase insecurity – be challenged? What systems of power are at play that normalize the demand for weapons, blocking progress toward disarmament?
These questions and more have led feminists thinkers to direct their attention to the forces of militarism, patriarchy and capitalism and to show how each operates in tandem, including through gender systems, to block meaningful progress toward disarmament and perpetuate the demand for weapons.
Women in Black is a world-wide network of women committed to peace and actively opposed to war, militarism, and other forms of violence. The group has no manifesto but instead share feminist principles and a commitment to non-violence. They hold vigils on a regular basis, in silence and wearing black. The London vigil, pictured above, is held every Wednesday from 6pm to 7pm at the Edith Cavell statute.
Challenging assumptions and dominant framings particularly around binary reasoning and exposing what is silenced are feminist methods that have produced fruitful thinking on how to best secure transformative change. In particular, feminists have engaged with and embraced the concept of human security over traditional state-centric conceptions of security. This reframing enables a fundamental change in the way weapons regulation can be viewed: namely, through their humanitarian gendered effects.
The question is not ‘how can we protect women in war?’ but ‘how can war be prevented?’ Panel discussion on: ‘Are we asking the right questions?’ with Secretary General of WILPF, Madeleine Rees (right), Professor Christine Chinking (centre) and Louise Arimatsu (left).
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