Feminism in a time of militarization

In mid-September, Cynthia Enloe, Professor at Clark University, in Massachusetts, USA, visited the Swedish Defence University where she gave a popular lecture on the theme of war, militarization, and feminism.

In her lecture, Cynthia Enloe explores how using feminist analysis can strengthen our understanding and knowledge of war, peace, and security using current examples such as Sweden's upcoming NATO membership and the war in Ukraine.

Contributing to the research on gender and war

Cynthia Enloe's research focuses on international relations, encompassing politics, war, peace, security, militarisation, gender, and feminism. She is the author of fifteen books, some of the most notable being Bananas, Beaches, and Bases (1989); Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives (2000); and Nimo's War, Emma's War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War (2010).

"She is one of the most prominent scholars in the field of gender and war and has made major contributions to the field's development. Among other things, she has shown how international and local politics constantly interact and how important it is to always ask the question "Where are the women?" to gain a deeper understanding of international politics. She has also shown how norms around gender, power, and militarisation interact and affect global politics and people's everyday lives", says Emma Fredriksson, a Ph.D. student in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University.

Cynthia Enloe spent a week at the Swedish Defence University following an invitation from the Gender, Peace and Security Working Group. During her visit, she conducted a workshop on feminist perspectives and research for students and researchers at the Swedish Defence University.

"We are incredibly grateful that she chose to come here. She is, by far, one of the most internationally respected researchers on gender and war and is a leading voice in debates on peace, politics, and security", says Emma Fredriksson.