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Jineology and Gender Justice: Rethinking a Feminist Peace in Syria
Abstract
Peace and conflict scholars have established the importance of gender parity and justice in peace processes, exemplified by the passage of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in 2000. However, peacebuilding efforts in Syria have largely failed to account for an ongoing gender revolution occurring in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). In particular, what is less established is the influence of the ideological underpinning of Jineology in the AANES, a feminist paradigm of knowledge production created by Kurdish women in their struggle for gender equality and justice. To remedy this gap, my project connects the theoretical framing of Jineology with larger peace efforts in Syria through the lens of the work conducted by local women’s organizations throughout the country, both in the AANES and beyond. Specifically, I ask: how can (and do) Kurdish women’s organizations and their ideologies influence Syrian peace processes? To answer this question, I use previously published interviews, reports, and news articles from organizations working directly in the AANES and Syria. During the summer of 2021, I intend to interview scholars and experts who have already conducted research in the region to triangulate my data and gain further information and context. Using these materials, I will discuss how Kurdish women’s organizing, especially in establishing justice institutions and deradicalizing former Daesh members, bridges Jineological theory with peace praxis. I therefore argue that the restorative and transitional justice practices enacted by Kurdish women’s organizations in the AANES can provide a useful template for the implementation of gender justice frameworks and a feminist peace in Syria, building on the goals of UNSCR 1325. This research has important implications for the future of feminist peace studies through the activities and aspirations of local women’s collectives.
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