Conflict Zones

Traditional Conflict Zones

In many societies and cultures women hold symbolic and discursive positions as bearers of tradition and markers of nation. In wars, and specifically in ethnic and religious conflicts, these discourses become intensified and women's bodies are turned into battlefields. In traditional Western discourses, women have been portrayed as the “beautiful soul” that must be saved. These have been reiterated in current times, when discourses around saving Afghan women from Taliban oppression were used to legitimize the invasion in 2001 by United States and its coalition. Also, women fighters often turn into mythical figures. In Sri Lanka, Tamil women who joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) adhered to stereotypical yet changing images; first conflating the traditional glorification of women as mothers with the female fighter, thus creating a “warrior mother”; then adding stereotypically masculine attributes, such as short hair and muscles, on to customary female qualities of virginity and chastity, resulting in a “masculinized virgin fighter.” Raping or sexually assaulting women of the enemy often serves as denigration, as women's bodies are considered the property and reputation of the community.

Military Conflict Zones

In many conflicts women take up arms to fight side-by-side with men. Military forces in many countries have opened up to female participation since the 1980s and women are allowed to serve at most positions, which has involved increased numbers of women in the armed forces. Nevertheless, rarely more than 15 percent of army staff is comprised of women. During the 20th century, many women took part in liberation movements against colonial rule, as in Algeria, Vietnam, and Kenya. This was mainly a fight against the colonial power, and less a struggle for female emancipation.

Yet, at times women sensed a connection between liberation from colonial rule and freedom from patriarchal oppression, thus initiating a feminist movement. For others though, and more commonly, the end of the war involved being reinserted back into, or voluntarily returning to, the domestic sphere. In many Latin American countries, for instance in Nicaragua, Chiapas in Mexico, and El Salvador, at times 30 percent of the members of guerrilla groups were female, a fact often ignored in public discourse Also, during the [Page 327]civil war in Sri Lanka, many Tamil women engaged in the war against the Sri Lankan army. Female fighters often experience gender-specific violence such as rape, which, due to social stigma, is often ignored. During the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe, thousands of women freedom fighters were raped by their fellow combatants, a fact that was silenced in order to maintain unity in the newly independent nation.

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