Course description
From academia to practical programming, gender has often been equated with “biological sex” and been used as a synonym for women. This undermines the real analytical and emancipatory potential of gender analysis. This course provides counterweight to this tendency, highlighting the role of masculinities in conflict and peacebuilding.
To counter common misconceptions about gender, the course will start with an introduction to its theoretical aspects, in particular the idea of multiple masculinities. It will then focus on three practical areas where the connections between masculinities, marginalization and militarism can be observed, including concrete approaches aimed at transforming harmful masculinities and their impact. First, it will discuss the targeted repression of women activists both in peace and conflict times as an expression of militarized masculinity, and explore how their leadership and protection can nevertheless be supported. In a second step, it will critically examine the connection between masculinities and violence in fragile settings, with a particular focus on how to diagnose vulnerabilities and strengthen resistance to engaging in violence. Finally, it will give space to understanding how sexual violence is used against men in conflict, and look into countering measures spanning from identifying and interviewing victims to compensation mechanisms. Throughout the course, participants will reflect on how these concepts and mechanisms relate to their own contexts, and discuss potential approaches to transform them.
Faculty
Experts:
- Leandra Bias, Gender & Peacebuilding Advisor, swisspeace
- Julia Zulver, political sociologist and Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas and the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies.
- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN).
- Thomas Osorio, former Investigations Coordinator for the UN Commission of Experts for the Investigation of War Crimes and Head of Mission to Croatia for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Senior Research Associate at Leuven University.
Coordinator:
- Leandra Bias, Gender & Peacebuilding Advisor, swisspeace
Your benefits
In this course you will:
- Learn to understand multiple masculinities as an integral part of gender theory;
- Examine the connections between masculinities, marginalization and militarism as a driving force behind violence in peace and conflict times;
- Learn about concrete approaches to transform harmful masculinities and their impact from experienced practitioners;
- Reflect on how these concepts, mechanisms and approaches relate to your own context;
- Exchange experiences and become part of a community of practice.
How to register:
Apply by August 31st via this link.