Challenging Violence and Victimisation Discourses in International Relations. The experiences of Men and Women during the Rwandan Genocide

Abstract

The study of the roles of men and women during violent conflicts and postconflict situations has traditionally restricted the experiences of women to those of victims, and those of men to violent perpetrators. This paper adopts a feminist constructivist approach to explore how traditional gender discourses have sustained the victimisation of women and the association of violence with men in the roles of aggressors and protectors. Throughout the case study of the Rwandan genocide, this research illustrates gender stereotypes tend to ignore on the one hand the role of women as violent perpetrators, and on the other hand, the victim status of men during conflicts. This study attempts to show experiences of Rwandan women were not limited to those of victims, but they planned and participated in genocidal violence and abuses. Additionally, and also contrary to traditional gender discourses, Rwandan men compromised the first targets of violence during the conflict. This thesis concludes that a broader and deeper understanding of conflict studies and ultimately world politics can be acquired by challenging traditional gender discourses, and investigating and recognizing the multifaceted experiences of women and men in conflict and post-conflict situations.