1st Edition

Gender and the Political Economy of Conflict in Africa The persistence of violence

By Meredeth Turshen Copyright 2016
    220 Pages
    by Routledge

    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    Violence affects the economy of production and the ecology of reproduction— the production of economic goods and services and the generational reproduction of workers, the regeneration of the capacity to work and maintenance of workers on a daily basis, and the renewal of culture and society through community relations and the education of children

    Gender and the Political Economy of Conflict in Africa explores the persistence of violence in conflict zones in Africa using a political economy framework. This framework employs an analysis of violence on both edges of the spectrum—a macro-economic analysis of violence against workers and a micro-political analysis of the violence in women’s reproductive lives. These analyses come together to create a new explanation of why violence persists, a new political economy of violence against women, and a new theoretical understanding of the relation between production and reproduction. Three case studies are discussed: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (violence in an era of conflict), Sierra Leone (violence post-conflict), and Tanzania (which has not seen armed conflict on the mainland).

    This book fills a significant gap on the political economy of war and women/gender for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers in African Studies, Gender Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies.

    Part 1: The persistence of violence  1. Gender and the political economy of violence  2. The gendered history of persistent violence  Part 2. Violence in production and social reproduction  3. Gender and the use of force in production  4. Violence in biological and social reproduction  5. The construction of lives in armed conflict  Part 3. Social movements and social justice  6. Social movements and the struggle for social justice

    Biography

    Meredeth Turshen is Professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA.

    "This is not a ‘neat’ book, in that the analysis suggests loose ends that cannot be tied up. But this is reflective of the extreme messiness of violence and conflict that make up the lives of many women, and for this it is refreshing and ultimately more convincing, and more useful in understanding the persistence of violence in women’s lives." - Fenella Porter, Ruskin College, Oxford, UK