Future of Feminist Security Studies

Although we discussed many different approaches to the future of feminist security studies, one particular quote from Carol Cohn's article really stuck out to me because of how it related to our recent class discussions and because it, in my opinion, really represented the future of feminist security studies. When I read the final words of Cohn's article "Feminist Security Studies’: Toward a Reflexive Practice," her quote "...it is also likely true that no one is more likely to push a change in agenda than the organized women who live in the shadows of those elite men's decisions" (2011, p.585) made me think of one of our class discussions. I connected the term "organized women" to the organized and masculinized nature of the military.  

The quote seems to make a point that the future of feminist security studies rests in the hands of women who are often directly or closely related to a masculinized society, where they are often in the shadows and discredited (sectors like the military). And in a way I believe this opinion. Although I am not saying that only women who have these experiences will be the ones who are at the forefront of the feminist security studies, I believe that those who are will play a vital and important role. 

One of the main reasons I believe this is because of one of her earlier quotes, where she says that "...this involved asking questions such as how and why the masculinist institutions at the heart...if we study men in these institutions as men, then what can we learn? (Cohn, 2011, p. 585). She stresses the importance of studying men and masculinity as a way to progress and learn more about feminist security studies. Those who are in environments where masculinity and the masculinized society are prevalent are able to take vital experiences in order to learn more about the culture. For example, how and why these masculine institutions function the way they do, how they define masculinity and where this notion of "power" comes from. For me, this is where the future of feminist security studies lies.  

Cohn, Carol (2011) “‘Feminist Security Studies’: Toward a Reflexive Practice” Politics & Gender 7 (4): pp. 581-586.

Cynthia Enloe Response

Cynthia Enloe was interesting both during her in class discussion as well as her follow up lecture later that evening. As we went around the room during the in class discussion, I really liked how she took a general interest in all of our topics and offered her insights or opinions as well. She was very talkative and outgoing which made the discussion much more lively. 

In terms of her evening lecture, I enjoyed it as well. The content of her lecture definitely surprised me because the title, "How Can You Tell If A War Is 'Over' Feminist Clues" did not lead me to believe the speech would be focused on the Boston Bombings. Anyways, I still felt the speech was really engaging and interesting. 

Although she touched upon many topics throughout the speech, the one that stood out the most was when she talked about the masculinization of certain athletic events. For example, how the marathon is less of a gendered event because both men and women participate and how they both wear the same type of apparel and how the time differences between the men and women winners were shrinking. Where, compared to other sports such as football and events like the Superbowl where it is heavily masculinized. I liked the contrast she gave when she first talked about how the marathon was not a very gendered event, then compared it to the response to the bombings which were highly masculinized and militarized. 

Overall, I really liked her in class discussion and her lecture later that night. She was engaging and offered many different insights and opinions to different topics. Dinner afterwards was also a lot of fun where the food was delicious. 

Workshop Response

The workshop was definitely an interesting experience. I have never participated or experienced anything like the workshop so it was a new, learning experience. One aspect of the class I really enjoy are the guest speakers. Although the class discussions are very interesting, it is important and vital to bring in outside experts and speakers on the topics we are focusing on.

Because I was unable to attend the earlier session of the workshop, my first activity was the drawing activity. Although a massive internal eye roll ensued when she told us to close our eyes and clear our thoughts, the moment was especially helpful in preparing us for the drawings. When she told us to draw pictures of violence, it was fascinating to see and hear about the different perceptions of violence we all hold. In the case of my group, while some of us focused on the human aspect of violence (the emotions that come with violence, how our bodies look after being stabbed, shot, etc) we also drew images of some of the more popular perpetrators of violence. Swords, guns, knives, tanks, and other military equipment.

In terms of the pictures for harmony/happiness, a lot of the images in my group focused on nature and what we perceive as happiness/harmony. For example, I drew an image of a beach with the sunset and a sailboat in the water. While I am not too fond of visiting beaches and the ocean in general, I drew it because the image of beaches and the sun are often images connected to happiness. The same happened with another person in my group regarding meditation. While she herself was not a fan of meditation, she drew it because meditation is often seen as something relaxing and harmonious. Finally, all of the members of the group drew pictures of nature. Whether it be a park, a tree or the ocean, we all associated nature as an example of harmony and happiness. After going around to everyone, it was nice to learn about the different perceptions of violence and happiness/harmony we all hold.

In terms of the mini lecture each of the speakers gave one by one after the drawing exercise, it was interesting to hear their different perspectives, opinions, experiences and beliefs. It was also nice to have a little debate going on afterwards. But the one part of the talk that really stood out to be was Caron's talk about the issue of Fifty Shades of Grey and The Twilight Series and the issue of how women are fascinated and interested in the issue of liking or romanticizing their captors. Although I am not a fan of the Twilight Series or Fifty Shades of Grey it is interesting to note because of how popular each of the books/series are today. In the case of the Twilight Series, a lot of my friends who read, watch and genuinely enjoy the series see it simply as a romance novel. They seem to forget about or completely disregard the fact that Bella romanticizes with her captor. After the popularity of these types of novels, it will be interesting to see whether it will (or has) lead/led to an increase in these types of books.

Overall, the workshop was helpful and interesting  Although I would have liked for a little more time for debate among the class (but more specifically among the speakers) it was fun nonetheless. Also, the spicy chicken wrap was quite delicious.

Human Rights Film Festival: Justice For My Sister

I went to the screening for the film Justice For My Sister mainly because I thought the film would be relatable to our class and what we were focusing on during that time.The film  follows Rebeca in her search for justice for here sister, Adela who was killed while she was returning from work. Throughout the film, she deals with a variety of different obstacles that prevent her from finding justice for her sister ranging from incompetent police officials, lost certificates and investigation records, gangs. an overwhelmed court system and a general lack of concern regarding violence in the area and specifically, violence against women.

One part of the film that really stood out in my mind was some of the data they revealed about life in Guatemala. In the last decade alone, roughly 6000 women have been killed with the majority of them unsolved. Of the cases who have been tried, only 2 percent of the perpetrators have gone to jail.

Another aspect of the film I really enjoyed was learning about their court system. In the United States, although our court system may not be perfect, it is much MUCH better than those in other countries. In Guatemala, the court system is headed by a three judge panel, who decides your fate, much like how a jury would here in the United States. In addition, the court system is very informal. While in the United States, our courts are very elaborate, large and full of specific protocol, the judicial system in Guatemala is a complete opposite. The court rooms are small, simple, and looks like a typical classroom in Cowell. In terms of protocol, the only one that was strictly enforced was when people stood up when the judges entered and exited the room. One example of the problems with the court system in Guatemala centered around one of the judges.

In the case of Adela (the one murdered when returning home), they arrested her ex-boyfriend who had a history of domestic violence against Adela and other women. While this was a case of murder and domestic abuse, one of the presiding judges at the time of the hearing was also undergoing a trial and investigation surrounding his role in his wife's death. After a protest regarding this conflict of interest by the prosecution, the judge was allowed to continue to preside over the case. This was one of the leading examples of how unfair and disorganized the justice system is in Guatemala. In the end, the suspect in Adela's murder convicted and later sentenced to 20 years (which was further extended to 30 years) in prison.

Following the film, there was a discussion with 2 professors from the International Studies program and a woman from an organization surrounding domestic abuse. Although they all made very interested points, the one point they made that really stood out was the need for gendered based asylum, especially in countries such as Guatemala where violence against women is rampant. She argued that violence against women is often forgotten on the international level. While we grant asylum to cases such as war, we should grant gendered based asylum because there is a war against women.

In the end, I really liked the film and the discussion. It was interesting and very thought provoking. I liked learning about the different court systems, and how much perseverance and self motivation it takes to bring a case to court, and charge someone with a crime in the case of Guatemala, where the court system is overwhelmed with cases and where violence against women is everywhere. The produced/director herself was raped while she was in Guatemala filming the documentary.

Global Women's Rights Forum: Sisters in Spirit: An Interfaith Dialogue

I attended the Sisters in Spirit: An Interfaith Dialogue event at the Global Women's Rights Forum and the event focused on three women, all of different faiths reflecting on how their faith frames their work. Toni Battle, Bhawana Kamil and Mary Waskowiak all reiterated how faith framed what they did. For Sister Mary, she talked about how faith, spirituality and how making a connection with others and work was important. Bhawana talked about how a form of worship was to do what you want to please God while Toni Battle focused on her multicultural background and her focus on maintaining community through oral traditions. 

Throughout the event a couple of specific points were made that really stood out to me. One was by Bhawana who talked about the relationship between reason and emotion and how that also related to masculinity and femininity. She explained how in today's society, reason is often associated with men, while emotion is associated with women and how we often view reason as supreme while downplaying emotion. 

I thought this forum and more specifically, the point made by Bhawana really connected to the readings and work we have been focusing on, especially the topic of masculinity and how it related to femininity. Her points really connected when she talked about how because emotion is often connected and associated with women, we often downplay the opinion and viewpoints of women which is what we have been focusing on recently. For example, with the Kronsell case study about how men were chosen in favor of women when talking about national security and defense. 

Sierra Leone: Girls

Sierra Leone: Girls

            In the chapter “Sierra Leone: Girls” from Ann Jones’ War is Not Over When it’s Over, Jones shows that in the wake of a devastating civil war women and young girls are still experiencing the degradation, rape, and limitations that they were during wartime. Jones retells her experiences of giving cameras to girls and women to photograph their crumbling villages and scores of pregnant and unsupported teens. One of the central issues, according to Jones, is that older men, many from other countries, often seduce and rape very young girls and then leave them when they get pregnant, worsening their poverty and making going to school an impossibility.

Ann, Jones. "Sierra Leone: Girls." War Is Not Over When It's Over. New York: Metropolitan, 2010. 92-130. 

Cohn Case Study

Carol Cohn's piece, ""Motives and Methods: Using multi-sited ethnography to study U.S. national security discourses" stresses the importance of comprehensivity in research. Being comprehensive allows for an examination of multi-sited research (among other locations, Cohn interviewed at war colleges, military academies and nuclear sites). Cohn became interested in the topic when she noted gendered rhetoric while studying national security rhetoric during the Cold War era. She interviewed a wide range of individuals including: military spouses, enlisted personnel, officers, and scientists. Cohn also discusses the influence of bias and stereotypes. Biases existed on both ends. For example, she noted civilian vs. military biases, male vs. female biases, career biases, and her own difficulty interviewing whom she viewed as a war criminal.

Cohn, Carol (2006) "Motives and Methods: Using multi-sited ethnography to study U.S. national security discourses" In: Brooke Ackerly, Maria Stern and Jacqui True (eds) Feminist Methodologies for International Relations. Cambridge University Press: pp. 129-152.

                                                            - Laur and Edwin