Capitalizing on Women's Traditional Roles in Israeli Peace Activism: A Comparison Between Women in Black and Checkpoint Watch
Deutsch-Nadir, Sharon
2005
- Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Abstract: Women's peace activism in conflict areas lies at the intersection of traditional and non-traditional. On the one hand, a growing body of literature and research refers to women, when compared to men, as more peace loving. On the other hand, peace activism, or ... read moreany kind of activism for that matter, is practiced in the public sphere, and challenges defining societal and political roles of women. As women in the 21st century, following feminist activism, are continuously encouraged, to go outside the home and against their traditional social place, the question remains: What if women's unique skills are the significant asset they offer to conflict management and conflict resolution? Does capitalizing on women's unique skills as peace activists creates the necessary culture of peace on the way to the resolution of a conflict? In this paper I have chosen to examine these questions through the work of women peace activists in Israel. The research is divided into four main parts. The first section provides the theoretical framework for women's peace activism in conflict areas; The second part focuses on women's peace activism in Israel, elaborating on the social context of women's activism in Israel; the third part covers the case studies I have chosen to compare Women in Black (in Hebrew Nashim beshachor) and Machsom Watch (in English: Checkpoint Watch), which represent two different strategies for their involvement in peace activism; and finally the conclusions section refers to the initial question of this work, particularly regarding the context of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is not my objective to discuss the contribution of women's peace activism to the status of women in the societies they work within, or specifically in Israel, since the link between feminism and peace activism is not a consistant one. It is my intention, however, to highlight the strength, cooperation and legitimacy emanating from women's peace work in Israel where non-traditional activism is complemented by women's perceived traditional roles in Israeli social narrative.read less
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