Sexual Violence during War

Vortrag von Prof. Elizabeth J. Wood (Yale University) innerhalb der Ringvorlesung des Exzellenzclusters „Die Herausbildung normativer Ordnungen“: „The End of Pacification? The Transformation of Political Violence in the 21st Century“ am 12.12.2018

When rape occurs frequently by an armed organization, it is often said to be a strategy of war. But some cases of conflict-related rape are better understood as a practice, violence that has not been explicitly adopted as organization policy but is nonetheless tolerated by commanders.

Drawing on examples from World War II to Vietnam to current conflicts, I present a typology of conflict-related rape that emphasizes not only vertical relationship between commanders (principals) and combatants (agents) but also the horizontal, social interactions among combatants. I analyze when rape and/or other forms of sexual violence are likely to be prevalent as organizational policy and those for which they are likely to occur as a practice. I emphasize not only the gendered norms and beliefs of the society from which combatants come but also how these might be transformed by the organization’s socialization processes. I conclude with a brief assessment of the implications for research and for policy.

Veranstalter:
Exzellenzcluster „Die Herausbildung normativer Ordnungen“