Start Date

10-2-2021 5:15 PM

End Date

10-2-2021 6:15 PM

Proposal Type

Presentation

Proposal Description

Globally, women engage in a multiplicity of agentic roles advocating for peace in their communities. Their involvement comes from an experienced or perceived need and the desire to do something about it. Women are recognized as crucial and competent actors in building peace, in post-war, and post genocide, and, in peace processes and negotiations and women’s community peacebuilding. In communities, women have proven themselves as leaders, bringing socio-cultural, economic and political positive change, while facing significant challenges and obstacles Yet, their expertise and efforts are seldom recognized or translated into positions of decision-making power. We do not know a great deal about their diverse leadership journeys.

Women have a long tradition of merging learning and leadership for social and community change; however, rarely does scholarship explicitly focus peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is a significant and under examined learning site. Informed by feminist grounded theory methodology and oral history methods, The Women’s Peace Leadership Learning: An Oral History Project sought to understand women’s situated experiences, knowledge and learning to be community peace leaders.

During 2019, I interviewed nine community women peace leaders from nine countries, from four continents. The women were between 30 and 50, and live in urban and rural, crisis and conflict areas. The women are involved in diverse issues including, but limited to, Indigenous and human rights, gender-based violence, child sexual abuse, climate change, the environment, conflict resolution, gender justice, and women’s economic security.

This presentation will highlight the emergent findings of these dynamic women’s narratives, the why, how and what of their peace leadership learning, as well as their peacebuilding practice which contributes to the well-being of their families, communities and the women themselves.

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Feb 10th, 5:15 PM Feb 10th, 6:15 PM

Who's Looking: Listening for the Hidden Story of Women's Peace Leadership Learning

Globally, women engage in a multiplicity of agentic roles advocating for peace in their communities. Their involvement comes from an experienced or perceived need and the desire to do something about it. Women are recognized as crucial and competent actors in building peace, in post-war, and post genocide, and, in peace processes and negotiations and women’s community peacebuilding. In communities, women have proven themselves as leaders, bringing socio-cultural, economic and political positive change, while facing significant challenges and obstacles Yet, their expertise and efforts are seldom recognized or translated into positions of decision-making power. We do not know a great deal about their diverse leadership journeys.

Women have a long tradition of merging learning and leadership for social and community change; however, rarely does scholarship explicitly focus peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is a significant and under examined learning site. Informed by feminist grounded theory methodology and oral history methods, The Women’s Peace Leadership Learning: An Oral History Project sought to understand women’s situated experiences, knowledge and learning to be community peace leaders.

During 2019, I interviewed nine community women peace leaders from nine countries, from four continents. The women were between 30 and 50, and live in urban and rural, crisis and conflict areas. The women are involved in diverse issues including, but limited to, Indigenous and human rights, gender-based violence, child sexual abuse, climate change, the environment, conflict resolution, gender justice, and women’s economic security.

This presentation will highlight the emergent findings of these dynamic women’s narratives, the why, how and what of their peace leadership learning, as well as their peacebuilding practice which contributes to the well-being of their families, communities and the women themselves.