"Military Sexual Violence: From Frontline to Fenceline" by Annie Isabel Fukushima & Gwen Kirk

"So why does military sexual violence persist? One explanation offered by The Invisible War is that the US military includes a higher percentage of “sexual predators” than civilian society. Also, some military commanders not only tolerate sexual assault, they are also complicit in covering up these incidents, punishing victims, and exonerating perpetrators or, at most, giving them a “boys-will-be-boys” slap on the wrist.
A weakness of the current debate is its narrow focus on US military women. Cynthia Enloe, a leading feminist scholar of international relations, recently noted the importance of looking to “those who are pushed to the margins” in order to learn about the big picture.
To locate the root of the problem means looking beyond the assaults on US military women — appalling as they are — to the routine incidents of military violence against civilians in combat situations and outside the fences surrounding US bases overseas. Given their mission, soldiers are trained to kill. This means seeing “others” as foreign or less-than-human. Gender and masculinity are at play; so too are racism and national chauvinism"

Read more here.

FSS-- future?

"The first task of a feminist security scholar should then be to develop a willingness to listen and to consider another view of the world" (Wibben, 2011, p.111).

The future starts with one simple word: curiosity (Enloe). Developing curiosity, as I have learned in the past two semesters, is necessary in the path towards establishing a feminist curiosity and to questioning everyday aspects of the political, because "feminism is political" (Wibben, 2011, p.113).

I think a big danger to the future, not just of Feminist Security Studies, but to society and people in general, is the same danger that Wibben identifies as "the myth of the empowerment narrative, the idea that we could be 'giving a voice' to someone (who am I to give a voice?)." She claims, instead, that "we need to 'ask ourselves the hard questions about what we are doing and why we are doing it'" (2011, p.110, quoting Andrews). This is the threat; that instead of perpetuating hegemony, knowledge, and power hierarchy, a critical aspect to the future of Feminist Security Studies is to understand that realities are all different, to question, and to tackle issues using the narrative perspective as a way to inform the general. As Cynthia Enloe said, the particular is the general, and the general is the particular, just a lot of particulars.

Wibben, A. (2011). Feminist Security Studies: A Narrative Approach. New York: Routledge.

The Future of Feminist Security Studies: The Answer is Blowin’ in the Wind

       Feminist Security Studies (wherever the semantic emphasis falls) seems to be a field with a bright, if not clearly one-directional future.  What I mean by this is that of all of the academic disciplines, those I respect the most are those which are constantly questioning their goals, methods, and terminology.  Just like research which is bettered by changing the research question to fit the results, rather that squeezing the results into some pre-conceived theory, I believe that academic disciplines should not take their fundamental tenets (or their names) as divinely written in stone.  I see nothing wrong, and, in fact, everything right, about a field writing to question and evaluate their practices, values, methodology and even its name. 

           Ann Jones (1994) would agree with me, stating “Researchers…commonly present [their ‘subjects’] with a list of predetermined questions, designed to elicit the information the researchers want, and keyed for quick reduction to faceless numbers – a ‘scientific method’ very different from listening to what women have to say for themselves” (pg. 155). 

The feminist curiosity that Cynthia Enloe writes about would appear to be a useful perspective for any academic, because by approaching everything, even one’s dearly held “traditions” with a critical mind, one can discover new links, new theories, and new conclusions. This is why I feel confident about the future of Feminist Security Studies.  If many people in the discipline are utilizing this feminist curiosity, the discipline will remain alive and vital.  (One hopes that their curiosity might puncture any egos unwilling to keep changing.)

I am still undecided about whether I think that sticking with the conventional definition of “Security Studies” is a positive approach; it does allow for those unfamiliar with feminist theory to grasp the ideas with a familiar framework. If such a framework were discarded, how would analysis be carried out, and how would anyone outside FSS be able to understand it?

            On the other hand, changing existing power structures from the inside can be arduous and ultimately an exercise in futility.  Perhaps the solution would be to continue to grow and expand FSS, drawing on both reframed traditional academic practices of the discipline of Security Studies, and also new academic practices created by FSS scholars.  This could, hopefully, grow to such proportions that it would seriously rival traditional Security Studies. 

            While perhaps an overly optimistic view, I think that a re-definition of the term “Security” has such far-reaching consequences that it is worthy of much academic (and policy-makers’) attention.  Because so far, to me “Feminist” Security Studies is simply a more holistic view of “Security Studies.”  It is not a niche, it is a view of International Relations that includes, and focuses on women.  And this does seem like a good idea, doesn’t it, given that over 50% of the global population is, guess what: women!

            Women already play an enormous role in “war” and “peace-”time International Relations.  It’s about time we started studying that role in detail.  Perhaps then we would be able to see things in a light that is clear and piercing enough, that we would be able to break the cycle of history and head off in a new direction.

Ann Jones'  "Why doesn't she leave?" In: Next Time She'll Be Dead. Boston: Beacon Press. 1994.

Some further readings & interviews with Cynthia Enloe

Since I know you all can't get enough of her insights, here are a few more things you can read (open source/ online):

Cynthia Enloe on Militarization, Feminism, and the International Politics of Banana Boats

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

"While gender is not part of the core of International Relations as a discipline, it most certainly both structures and is structured by the practice of international politics. Since the 1970s, feminism in IR has stirred up what is normally silenced, back-grounded and relayed to the margins, by starting from the seemingly simple question: ‘where are the women’? For 40 years, Cynthia Enloe has shown that answering this question is not so easy—it requires localizing, unpacking and unsettling much IR takes for granted. In this magnificent Talk, Enloe discusses, amongst others, the politics of textile factory design, how global relations need to be structured for bananas to become normal consumption items in our households, and the contemporary global militarization of our life-worlds."
Read more here.

***

Taking women’s lives seriously — an interview with Cynthia Enloe

Stephanie Van Hook
September 13, 2012
"Curiosity, arguably, is the antidote to the passivity in politics. When we question the assumptions of candidates’ platforms, especially with regard to women, and when we learn from movements that take women seriously, we stand to awaken something more active and empowered within ourselves. In Cynthia Enloe’s words, “This makes us smarter”; feminist knowledge is a potent form of power."
Read more here.  

***

Combat: The Zone of Women’s Liberation?

January 24, 2013 

"Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement that the Pentagon is lifting its ban on American military women in serving in combat is notable in so far as it represents another step in rolling back masculine privilege in a major U.S. public institution.
But does allowing women equal opportunity to kill in the name of “national security” amount to genuine liberation?
I don’t think so."
Read more here

Walk against Rape and the Boston Bombings

     I was thinking about what Valeria said in class about the Walk Against Rape and it reminded me of what Cynthia Enloe said in her talk. The Boston bombings were in a demilitarized environment and after, it was completely different, especially since the FBI [and SWAT teams] showed up as a response. But in the Walk Against Rape the police was guarding the route. My "feminist blinkers" were automatically on because of the dynamic of the walk. Rape is about control, regardless of sex and the policemen/policewomen were a symbol of control. It could be intimidating or even a trigger for some of the participants. 

     It could be argued that they are also for protection, but I think that just like the Boston marathon, the walk should be just the participants. It gives them the control and power of walking for their cause, without the help of outside influences. Or maybe I'm completely wrong? Any thoughts?

Response to Cynthia Enloe

During her lecture Monday evening, Cynthia Enloe ended up talking about the bombings at the Boston Marathon. She focused mostly on how the incident was being portrayed by the media, an observation made possible by her feminist curiosity. All stories surrounding the Boston Marathon seem to be based on pure speculation. I am glad Enloe brought up the hasty terrorist accusations that were jumped to immediately. She raises a good question when asking why this was a terrorist act and not any other recent shootings. Is it all based on race? How is it justifiable to tie these two kids to an ethnic war and disregard everything else? The connections that the media has been making to their Chechen ethnicity are so over stretched. Are we that concerned with security? Must we always create this phantom menace? Not to mention that all this reporting and reactions just cause more fear which is then blanketed by a false sense of security. Everything seems to be blown out of proportion so emotional responses are the first to be had. I mean, have you seen the footage and pictures they have been showing in the news? The graphics are so unnecessary. Yes, there should be transparency and the people have a right to know what has been going on but the way it is presented is completely unclassy. But of course, the more “in your face” it is, the bigger the response will be, and the easier it is to gain control. Haha, this totally sounds like a conspiracy theory. I think we should always be wary of the information we are presented and approach it with a critical eye.  

Cynthia Enloe's Visit

Cynthia Enloe has to be my favorite speaker. I loved her attitude and her approach to feminist studies. I think it takes a certain amount of skill to be able to collect the stories of women who have been through so much and make them come alive without even meeting them. I think it was very important that these women's stories be heard, even if they don't know it. Everyone should get the chance to have an outlet to share their struggles and achievements, because people can learn from the unexpected and it sends a message of empowerment. I like that she said she wonders if it really is her place to be spreading awareness of the issues these women face. Where is the line drawn between making a difference, and using privilege to do it?
I also liked that for her public lecture she chose to talk about something that hit close to home, but she did it in a different light. The Boston bombing brought so much light to the corruption in the media and journalism. One thing that really struck me was her explanation of the news interviewing the mother of the brothers who bombed the Boston race. She asked what was the point of that? They purposely interview her to blame her for her horrible parenting skills that caused her sons to carry out the bombing. They have no interest in hearing her side of the story or her feelings, and they go in there with judgement already. And what is else is she going to say but how her sons were good boys and she didn't expect this? No mother expects her son to commit such a horrible crime. It's interesting that the mother is always to blame and not any other guardian for these types of situations. Americans watching the news at home see that the women are always to blame for the way children turn out, and that has an affect on families. It's a fact that is talked about quite often, that women are always gossiping and judging each other's parenting. Each mother feels like she is right. The mother is always portrayed as weak and not in control of her children. If we go by parenting stereotypes, shouldn't the father figure to be to blame for not disciplining his sons enough? Cynthia Enloe definitely expanded my feminist curiosity. 

Cynthia Enloe's Visit

Cynthia Enloe had some great points about the process of writing a paper. My favorite was how she mentioned to not gloss over any thought, quotation, reference, or assumption that comes up during writing which causes discomfort. Instead, use this productively. Include it as a footnote. As she said, "It should always feel a little uneasy, because there is no such thing as universal knowledge". Love this. I also appreciated how she encouraged us to view our essays as part of a broader conversation. This gives me more incentive, more initiative, to really take seriously the claims I make in my essay.

During her presentation in Fromm, however, she made some remarks I didn't agree with. I remember her asking "Why was the religion or race of the shooters in the Gabby Giffords or Aurora incidents not considered? Why was it all the focus in the Boston shootings?" I think it's inaccurate to portray all three of these shootings as one in the same, especially given the fact that Dzokhar Tsarnaev himself stated "We did this in the name of religion."

Cynthia Enloe's Visit

Cynthia Enloe is the most adorable speaker I think we've ever had at the Davies forum AND for my entire college career! She was so pleasant and seemed genuinely interested in our class; I didn't feel intimidated by her presence, but definitely felt her intelligence and knowledge from both her work and our discussion. I think she might be one of my favorite speakers to date!

Enloe's book, Nimo's War, Emma's War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War talked about the effects of war also including gendered dimensions in marriage, motherhood, women's sexuality, women's access to education and work. Her stories about the different perspectives and circumstances of women - from Nimo and her beauty salon to Charlene, the mother of a US serviceman, were eye-opening and informative about the different facets of the Iraq War. Like with Anu Bhagwati, I only had a minimal understanding of the Iraq War and its effects on women; I've learned about the Iraq War in my US Foreign Policy class, but we focused more on the systematic result of United States' approach.

Enloe's visit to our class, however, focused a little less on her book, but more on the concepts of writing and the reasons why she wrote the book, as well as the process. It was interesting to learn about her politics of choosing a title, as well as the way she retrieved information in order to write the perspectives of these women. I appreciated her insight into writing, as well as her explanation of her experiences in academia. I also loved how she divulged in how she got into feminist research in the first place - it was very humbling of her to admit that the chaos and unease of doing difficult research was common for anyone, even the experts themselves.

Cynthia Enloe Visit

I truly enjoyed meeting Cynthia Enloe! Although I wasn’t able to make the class discussion, I refused to miss the opportunity to see her speak after class. I was very surprised that she spoke about the Boston Bombing, and I’m so happy she did. Before the discussion I hadn’t really followed the event closely, only hearing bits and pieces of the story. It was nice hearing her feminist perspective on the Boston bombing. The overall lecture struck me, but what stood out to me the most was when she questioned why the killings weren’t linked to Aurora and Newtown etc., how the method of weapon choice has distinguished the association to a “terrorist narrative” and how regarding the Boston bombing we’ve gone into a terrorist motive as opposed to a criminal motive. She also helped reinforce the idea that we must dig deeper than what’s being presented through the media and authorities, and do our own research to formulate our own opinions.

Cynthia Enloe was such a fascinating woman, and she had such a welcoming spirit. I felt so privileged to engage further with her at dinner! Although I tend to be very shy, I felt so comfortable in her presence! I loved that during dinner she invited everyone into the discussion and was interested in our own lives. I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to read some of her work, and listen to her lecture. The fabulous dinner and delicious dessert at Zazie’s was just the icing on the cake! 

Cynthia Enloe

How insightful Dr Enloe is! I appreciated her honesty and sincere interest in our class. I had a very interesting discussion with her about the parents of the brothers involved with the Boston massacre. I was concerned that the interviews I had read with the parents portrayed them as parents that were dumbfounded by the event and simply could not understand or conceive that their children would commit such an atrocity. I never really thought about not wanting to display your children in a negative light, especially when the whole world has its attention on you, your family, and your parenting...which now seems obvious enough...but I digress...

I thought that Nimos War, Emmas War was an interesting book. It still is odd to me that she never met them because the text reads as though they were familiar. I remember reading the introduction and that sticking out to me as I read the book. I think this presents an interesting dilemma through doing research and writing with secondary sources. This presents the issues so much more clearly than any research I've written! Regardless I thought it was a great way to present and frame the many issues facing women on both sides of the Iraq war. I also really liked that she included the experiences of a young girl. As I said in class, she was born the same year as my younger sister and her story and bravery really hit home for me.

As far as the title! Wow I over thought that. I thought it was because Emma and Nimo were stories about things highly trivialized during war and peace, motherhood and femininity. For example Enloe (2010) shares "Just because on this day in May 2003 she was in a beauty parlor didn't mean that she hadn't been thinking seriously about politics" (p. 20). The truth is that most people would not have honestly considered that a beauty parlor would be the place to go to find out so much about the perspective of women on the politics of the Iraq war. Turns out it is the perfect place... As far as Emma's side of the story, it marks not only the triviality of motherhood in military recruitment but also the places that this recruitment is taking place: "Though markedly different in important ways, in the United States as in Iraq, schools were becoming the sites for war waging in the early twenty-first century" (Enloe, 2010, p. 134). There is something especially sinister about recruiting children while in school, a place of education and supposedly enlightenment, a place where parents trust their children to be safe...to be taught alternatives to violence.

 However, I was incorrect in my far reaching assumption. Regardless it served as a lesson in naming a book and the various challenges that it presents to your editors, publishers, and potential readers.

One more thing, I was really glad that in her presentation she did not mention the religion of the boys. She made it very apparent that in today's time we are finding more and more things to label as terrorism and finding more and more excuses to become more militarized. I did not realize that every police department has a SWAT team!

Funny/Sad story: on my birthday my best friend of eleven years called me on my birthday to wish me a happy birthday and to let me know that the LA SWAT team showed up at her new house while she was in the shower. She open the front door to a ton of rifles pointed at her in her towel with her five year old daughter next to her. We laughed about it, but it was a disturbing thought. Apparently before she moved in some gang member lived there and they were looking for him...maybe they should have spent more on researching his new location rather than terrorizing my friend and her daughter with militarized tax dollars?

Reference

Enlow, C.H. (2010). Nimo's war, Emma's war: making feminist sense of the Iraq war. Berkeley, California. University of California Press.

Cynthia Enloe Reflection

I felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn and absorb advice from Cynthia Enloe. Her book and reflections helped me answer questions surrounding research and our roles as responsible members in academia. I particularly enjoyed her extensive details of the book publishing process. It can be easy to assume, glancing down at a book, that somehow the title, cover and back blurb just came together with no real extensive thought.

One of my favorite topics that we discussed, was the notion that ‘the personal is political’. I think this is such an important concept to consider and talk about in a group setting. Before taking classes with Professor Wibben, I thought politics was a completely separate realm in itself, distinct from science, business, sports, film and the personal. What I have come to realize from many classes and from talks like Enloe’s is that everything is political. The way we make decisions, rationalizing certain choices, what we consider more important and how we interact with others is all rooted in the politics of living. Her description of the book-making process illuminated this reality in a very tangible way.  She detailed going back and forth with the publishers about the name, if it was too associated with a Disney character, and deciding on a book image.

Another key piece of advice she provided was thinking about your audience. One of my favorite things she said concerned the style of writing. She urged us to use notes, but not in a combative way. I had not really thought about this before, but a certain style of writing can be very aggressive and serve as a deterrent to hearing what an author has to say. I don’t think this means you have to compromise your passion, but it just means that you should be aware of your audience, so that people can fully understand your intentions and ideas.

--Erika

Crisis In the Congo Reflection - Uncovering the Truth Reflection

I attended the Crisis in the Congo film screening and discussion. I particularly liked the message of the discussion that centered on the important role that professors, students, activists and ordinary people can play in effecting positive change in the Congo. The talk featured Kambale Musavuli, a student coordinator and national spokesperson for “Friends of Congo”.

I think Musavuli could have focused more on the role of women in international politics and the potential to address the ensuing violence by opening more positions for women in military, aid and trade negotiations. Women are considerably marginalized in the world of international politics, which is heavily gendered (Enloe, 1990). The power of local elites depends on their relation to metropolitan powers in the post-colonial capitalism in the Congo. Thus, uncomfortably suspended between local and global culture lies hegemonic masculinity of neocolonial societies (Connell, 2000). I think this plays a major role in the Congolese relationship with the U.S. and other western powers, which influences the continued violence. 

The opening film was quite graphic. Usually I don’t particularly like shock-value cinematography that simply uses dead bodies or starving children like props, but the film used these images in a meaningful and evocative way. I think for many people living in privileged societies, such as the United States, it can be easy to forget that there are still incredibly violent and torturous wars going on throughout the world. These images provoked a sense of urgency that is necessary. It reminded me of the power point Ann Jones showed us. The beautiful photographs of nature and the women’s dreams, intermixed with images of domestic violence and torture. In the same way the film juxtaposes the beautiful images of the Congo, with immense natural resources, with the heart-wrenching images of dead families.

As we have been discussing in the Davies Forum, institutionalized hierarchies of oppression are extremely difficult to not only challenge, but to simply get people to consciously recognize their existence. The film explored the role the United States and other allies, such as Uganda and Rwanda, played in triggering an extensive humanitarian crisis. France, Belgium and the U.S. have killed millions of Congolese, mainly due to foreign intervention in an effort to gain control of Congo’s extensive mineral wealth. Musavuli stressed the importance of recognizing the role of these western powers in the ensuing violence. I think this particular stress on recognition of privilege and power translates to feminist activism as well. If we could get people to actively reflect on and discover the ways in which gender hierarchies and oppression play a role in their everyday lives that would make the prospects for change much greater.

I particularly liked Musavuli’s promotion of community building through collaboration of Congolese youth, human rights activists and international actors. Sometimes aid projects have the tendency to simply ignore the needs or input of local populations and impose western ideals onto a certain society. He briefly mentioned that women could be part of this group, but I feel that their roles could be much more prominent than a simple side note. Promoting the same ideals as the projects Ann Jones worked with in Thailand and Cote D’Ivoire, women should have access to the tools to promote and articulate the issues within their own communities. Although I recognize the predominant need to end the violence, I believe women can develop a strong voice in conjunction with establishing peace. One does not negate the other, in the name of efficiency and time management. 

--Erika

Cynthia Enloe reflection

I feel so lucky that we were able to have Cynthia Enloe all to ourselves. I really enjoyed her in and outside of class and found nearly everything she said to be inspiring. The way that she constantly asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in everything around her was incredible, and the way that she answered our questions in class was so thoughtful and thorough. I feel like I really gained a lot from our conversations.

Enloe's talk after class was really fascinating. I'm glad that she chose to talk about the Boston marathon. Her methodical rationality was incredible, especially when considering that she lives in Boston. The questions she asked were fascinating. The way she thinks and processes information seems extremely unique and I learned a lot about how to ask the right questions from her talk. Overall, I think she was my favorite speaker this semester.

On the significance of titles, notes, and (civilian)? SWAT teams

On Monday, April 22, the esteemed Cynthia Enloe visited USF. First meeting with our class privately, Enloe gave a convincing sales pitch for the importance of notes (guess I should read those....) and a well-chosen title. I appreciated the concern that she took ensuring not to giving any assumptions to the women she wrote about in her book Nimo's War, Emma's War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War. I was left with the question: Can writing (or even art) ever be prescriptive then? At some point, doesn't it take an assertion about what are universal values or rights? I don't actually have an answer for that but I absolutely agree with Enloe in that nonfiction writing and journalism should avoid assumptions, judgement, and pointed language. And when writing about others, whether in a nonfiction sense or as a representation in fiction, it should never be more about the author than the subject.

The evening lecture by Enloe got more into feminist material than the class had the opportunity to (since we were focused on research methods). She analyzed the Boston Marathon and its repercussions through a critical feminist lens. Her observations on the racial profiling, Islamaphobia, absurd media coverage and abjection of rights  in the aftermath echoed what I believe a lot of critical thinking observers felt. I thought of Cohn's piece that questioned the power involved in using terms like terrorism. As Enloe supported, it certainly is a political tool to help frame an event for the audience. Maybe not run of the mill terrorism, per se, but I imagine that the Saudi student who had his apartment searched in the aftermath felt terrorized.

I also really appreciated Enloe's comprehensive look at the costs of war. I'm doing a paper on forms of political protest and when, where, and why they work. A lot of the geopolitical analysis that I have come across only take things like financial price tags and estimated military deaths into cost-benefit calculations of potential wars. I keep wondering why things like the militarization of a society, sexualized violence, or psychological trauma (all of which long outlast the combat operations) don't get considered. Enloe applied this extended cost-of-war analysis to the militarization of civilian police, as observed in the Boston bombing suspects. Until people are convinced both of the connection of these other consequences of war and the magnitude of these consequences, I find it difficult to believe that people will see the police response to the Boston marathon as a problem. Until these connections are made, I imagine people will be grateful that the greater Boston area had such resources, considering the terror that they both reasonably felt and were made to feel by the media.


Cynthia Enloe (2010) Nimo’s War, Emma’s War: Making Feminist Sense of the
Iraq War. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Beautiful Soul, Beautiful Woman: Cynthia Enloe

I met Cynthia Enloe (through her writings) last semester through my Feminist International Relations class, also with Professor Wibben.

Enloe has inspired and transformed the way I think and perceive so many realities, ideas, and "norms", but I never imagined what it would be like to meet her in person: an extremely down-to-earth, simple, friendly, incredibly brilliant, and happy woman.

Her evening lecture was about what impact the militarization and increasing masculinities that have resulted from the Boston Marathon bombings have and will continue having domestically, and also in a variety of subjects linked to the bombings, including the logic of officials and law enforcement, the media, and the "American" population. Although I hadn't been following the events too much, I had been hearing hushed opinions everywhere, many of which made me pretty upset. Enloe acknowledged many of these, and even when a member of the audience told her he didn't agree with one of her points, she was thankful and gracefully expressed her argument. Which I agreed with. I thought this was so admirable.

Since I was part of the few students who had coffee with her afterwards (we went to Sacred Grounds), I also received extra (privileged) time to speak to her about some points of view and including the research paper I am doing for this class, which focuses on the sexualized violence of migrant Mexican women as a result of the increasing militarization of the border. Some of the issues I brought up Enloe agreed with, also expressing my frustration on the limited aspect of the field. What I appreciated most, though, was that not once did she discourage me; on the other hand, she expressed her interest and encouragement, sounding excited and keen on hearing about it more. She even provided suggestions. Afterwards, she signed my book and wrote that I will uncover the truths on the border. Thank you Cynthia Enloe. I will. I plan on devoting my career to it.

 - Valeria

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. 

Cynthia Enloe's Davies Forum Lecture at USF

VIDEO HERE: "How Can You Tell If a War is 'Over'? Feminist Clues"

Cynthia Enloe is currently a Research Professor in the International Development, Community, and

Environment Department at Clark University.  Her career has included Fulbrights in Malaysia and Guyana, and guest professorships in Japan, Britain and Canada, as well as lecturing in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Korea, Turkey and at universities around the U.S. Her books and articles have been translated into Spanish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, and German. She has written for Ms. Magazine and has appeared on National Public Radio, Al Jazeera and the BBC.

Among Professor Enloe’s thirteen books are The Curious Feminist: Searching for Women in The New Age of Empire (2004) and Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link (2007); and Nimo’s War, Emma’s War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War. Her newest book (co-authored with feminist geographer Joni Seager) is: The Real State of America: Mapping the Myths and Truths about the United States (2011).