scholarly journals From Depletion to Regeneration: Addressing Structural and Physical Violence in Post-Conflict Economies

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirin M Rai ◽  
Jacqui True ◽  
Maria Tanyag
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Gendered Power

Abstract Drawing on depletion through social reproduction and political economy of violence against women (PEVAW) approaches, we show how the context of violence intensifies the depletion of women’s lives as they labor to meet their household needs; and how this depletion heightens their vulnerability to violence in conflict-affected contexts and inhibits their roles in peacebuilding. We propose the concept of the “regenerative state,” as a post-conflict moment of openness when state policy underpinned by attention to issues of depletion, social reproduction, and violence against women can help reshape gendered power relations in post-conflict transitions.

scholarly journals Using social reproduction theory to understand unfree labour

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-580
Author(s):  
Ellie Gore ◽  
Genevieve LeBaron
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Global Business ◽  
Social Reproduction Theory ◽  
Unpaid Care ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
Gendered Power

Most scholarship within social reproduction theory focuses on women’s paid and unpaid care and domestic work, typically within the global North. Rarely has social reproduction theory grappled with unfree labour in commodity supply chains, particularly in the global South. However, these labour relations also involve gendered power relations that cut across the productive and reproductive realms of the economy, which can be illuminated by social reproduction theory analysis. In this article, we reflect on how social reproduction theory can be used to make sense of unfree labour’s role in global supply chains, expanding its geographical scope and the forms of labour exploitation encompassed within it. Conceptually, we harness the insights of social reproduction theory, and Jeffrey Harrod and Robert W Cox’s work on ‘unprotected work’ in the global economy to examine how gendered power relations shape patterns of unfree labour. Empirically, we analyse interview and survey data collected among cocoa workers in Ghana through LeBaron’s Global Business of Forced Labour project. We argue that social reproduction theory can move global supply chain scholarship beyond its presently economistic emphasis on the productive sphere and can shed light into the overlaps between social oppression, economic exploitation, and social reproduction.

scholarly journals (En)gendering post-conflict agency: Women’s experiences of the ‘local’ in Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
pp. 001083672110007
Author(s):  
Laura S Martin
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
International Programs ◽  
Female Agency ◽  
Sierra Leonean ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Gendered Power

This article explores how female agency and experience manifest in a local Sierra Leonean peacebuilding program known as Fambul Tok. While post-conflict literature, namely transitional justice and peacebuilding, has become more critical in recent years, there is still a tendency to generalize both the ‘local’ and ‘women’. There is, however, much greater scope to delineate how local programs shape and are shaped by women in these settings. While Fambul Tok was, at least theoretically, meant to better align with the needs and priorities of Sierra Leoneans, including women, the empirics suggest that female engagement ultimately results in a wide range of outcomes, which are not necessarily more ‘empowering’, ‘transformative’ or ‘good’ than international programs. Drawing on original empirical data from Fambul Tok, this article highlights the complexity of gendered power relations within these programs and how individual women have multiple, diverse and contested forms of agency and experiences within local settings.

scholarly journals Who has got what?, Why? And How?: The Political Economy of Reintegration Policy in Aceh

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-257
Author(s):  
Sait Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Peace Building ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Power ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Local Elites ◽  
Elite Group ◽  
Post Conflict

Abstract This article focuses on the power relations between elite and non-elite former GAM (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka) combatants in the post conflict reintegration policy in Aceh. A number of scholars have linked the post conflict reintegration to the GAM ex-commanders conflicts over predatory processes of resource appropriation. However what is missing in their account is that the attentions to the rank and file ex-fighters, including women ex-combatants. The finding of the study suggests that the post conflict reintegration has provided opportunities for the former GAM commanders to build and consolidate their political and economic power. Since the former GAM commanders occupied the reconstruction space, they have captured the peace building processes through their predatory behaviour and patrimonial networks. In this context, the ex-commanders GAM elite has become a new dominant post conflict group  while the non-elite group of the rank and file ex-combatants, particularly women ex-combatants, lost opportunities to enhance their welfare. As local elites are powerful, they have the capacity to select who are excluded from and included in their alliances. In these circumstances, the welfare outcomes from post conflict reintegration will beframed in terms of ‘who has got what?’, ‘why?’,and ‘how?’.

Attitudes of Turkish Academics Regarding Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 3232-3254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kıymet Yeşilçiçek Çalik
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Socialization Process ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Arranged Marriages ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The University ◽  
Electronic Questionnaires

Honor is an important concept that has a vital value in Turkey and affects many women’s lives and even causes death. It is of utmost importance to know and scientifically demonstrate the value judgments of the academics that lead and pioneer the society in our country where honor culture is adopted. Therefore, in Turkey, where thousands of women are exposed to violence every year, 877 academics participated in this descriptive study to determine the attitudes of academics toward violence against women in the name of honor. The data were collected using “The Scale for Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor (SAVWNH)” in the form of electronic questionnaires through email addresses of the academics working at different faculties of the university in the official website of the university in September 1 to October 1, 2015. In our study, academics’ “attitudes towards violence against women in the name of honor” were found low. That is, academics had negative attitudes toward the verbal or physical violence against women in the name of honor and opposed to the punishment of women for this reason. Nevertheless, the attitudes of those who were males; those who were not professors, associate professors, and assistant professors; those who were single; those who had lived in the district/village for a long time; those who had arranged marriages; those who used any kind of violence; and those who considered violence as a solution were found somewhat more conventional. These results showed that, for some academics, the traditional beliefs of the Turkish patriarchal society continued to be valid although they were included in university academic cultures. In fact, it is revealed here that social values, traditions, and customs are very effective and important on the formation of personality in socialization process.

Family Courts and Human Security in South West Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Oluwaleye Monisola
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Family Courts ◽  
South West ◽  
The Family ◽  
Domestic Violence Against Women

The trend of violence against women in Nigeria has increased more than ever recently, with many women having been deprived of their fundamental rights. Violence against women in Nigeria includes sexual harassment, physical violence, harmful traditional practices, emotional and psychological violence, and socio-economic violence. This article investigates cases of domestic violence against women in South West Nigeria by assessing the role of family courts in the adjudication of such cases. Both primary and secondary sources of data were employed to examine incidents of violence against women and the role of the family courts in ensuring justice. The author employed both primary and secondary sources of data; the data gathered were analysed by frequency and simple percentages, while qualitative data were descriptively analysed. The article reveals the causes of domestic violence against women to include a cultural belief in male superiority, women’s lack of awareness of their rights, women’s poverty owing to joblessness, men seeking sexual satisfaction by force, women having only male children, the social acceptance of discipline, the failure to punish the perpetrators of violence, the influence of alcohol, and in-laws’ interference in marital relationships. It also reveals the nature of domestic violence against women. The research revealed that the family courts have played prominent roles in protecting and defending the rights of women. The author therefore recommends that the law should strengthen the family courts by extending their power to penalise the perpetrators of violence against women. 

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on the Prevalence of Spousal Violence Against Women in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199792
Author(s):  
Kazhan I. Mahmood ◽  
Sherzad A. Shabu ◽  
Karwan M. M-Amen ◽  
Salar S. Hussain ◽  
Diana A. Kako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spousal Violence ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

There is increasing concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown’s social and economic consequences on gender-based violence. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence by comparing the prevalence of spousal violence against women before and during the COVID-19 related lockdown periods. This study was conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a self-administered online questionnaire survey after the COVID-19 lockdown period in June 2020. Data were collected from a sample of 346 married women about the occurrence, frequency, and forms of spousal violence before and during the lockdown period. Significant increases in violence were observed from the pre-lockdown period to the lockdown period for any violence (32.1% to 38.7%, p = .001), emotional abuse (29.5% to 35.0%, p = .005), and physical violence (12.7% to 17.6%, p = .002). Regarding emotional abuse, humiliation (24.6% to 28.3%, p = .041) and scaring or intimidation (14.2% to 21.4%, p < .001) significantly increased during the lockdown. For physical violence, twisting the arm or pulling hair (9.0% to 13.0%, p = .004) and hitting (5.2% to 9.2%, p = .003) significantly increased during the lockdown. Forcing to have sexual intercourse also significantly increased during lockdown (6.6% to 9.5%., p = .021). The concerned authorities and women’s rights organizations should collaborate to enhance the prevention of violence against women. An effective prevention strategy should emphasize recognizing and acknowledging the extent of the problem, raising awareness about the problem and the available resources to address it, and ensuring social and economic stability. Lessons learned about the increased prevalence of spousal violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent and address it will be valuable for similar future crises.

Investigating the political economy of the territory: The contradictory responses of organisations to spatial inequality

Organization ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 135050842110612
Author(s):  
Daniel S Lacerda
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Spatial Inequality ◽  
The Political ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Dialectical Tension ◽  
History Of ◽  
Territorial Division

The spatial imaginations of organisations can be particularly insightful for examining power relations. However, only recently they have gone beyond the limits of the workplace, demonstrating the role of the territory for organised action, particularly in mobilising solidarity for resistance. In this article, I investigate power relations revealed by the political economy of the territory to explain contradictory actions undertaken by organisations. Specifically, I adopt the theoretical framework of the noted Brazilian geographer Milton Santos, who recognises spatial multiplicity and fragmentation while maintaining an appreciation of the structural conditions of the political economy. This perspective is particularly useful for the analysis of civil society organisations (CSOs) in a Brazilian favela (slum), given the context of high inequality perpetuated by the selective flows of urban development. First, I show that the history of favelas and their role in the territorial division of labour explain the profiles of existing organisations. Then, I examine how the political engagement of CSOs with distinct solidarities results in a dialectical tension that leads to both resistance based on local shared interests and the active reproduction of central spaces even if the ends are not shared. The article contributes to the literature of space and organisations by explaining how territorial dynamics mediate power relations within and across organisations, not only as resistance but also as the active reproduction of economic and political regimes.

Economic violence against women: Testimonies from the Women’s Court in Sarajevo

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Tatjana Đurić Kuzmanović ◽  
Ana Pajvančić-Cizelj
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Economic Violence

This article uses a feminist political economy framework to analyse economic violence against women in the context of the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia and the introduction of neoliberal regimes in its successor states from the late 1980s until 2015. The authors’ focus is on the following processes before, during and after the breakup: the wider social, political and economic context of Yugoslavia before the war, already marked by the introduction of orthodox neoliberal standards and practices and combined with nationalism; the period during the war, with escalation of conflict and growing nationalism; and the post-socialist transformation, marked by aggressive neoliberalism. The analysis is based on women’s testimonies given in preparation of (from 2011 until the end of 2014) and during the Women’s Court in Sarajevo in 2015. It points to the conclusion that orthodox neoliberal policy and privatization, intersecting with patriarchy, nationalism and conflict, induced economic violence against women in the region.

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