Research Request

[Rena]

Hello All,

I am starting this discussion in the hopes that I can get some feedback and/or ideas for a possible working group or at least research paper.

I am in the Army Reserves holding the Civil Affairs mos; I also work as a civilian contractor. A portion of my work is research related as I work for the military, the Marines to be exact. OK that's my history.

Now for the question. I am looking to establish a link between coin, women's culture, terrorism and Irregular Warfare. I know it is broad, that is intentional.I will take the suggestions and narrow down a topic. My goal is to establish a link between one or all three, seperately, and Irregular Warfare.

I want to get your thoughts on what would be a viable research topic, something of use to the soldier on the ground and if you can offer a topic that wasn't listed pls feel free. I have gotten feed-back from the Marines as well. I'd use my own experience in Iraq and the 'Stan but it would be extremely biased. That being said any suggestions you offer would be of great use to me.

Thanks

[jcustis]

One thing I've always wondered is how to push IO to the female component of the Iraqi family unit, sort of like a "momma don't let your babies grow up to be insurgents."

Does the matriarchal element of Iraqi sociey lend itself to penetration by IO. Can it be shaped? Is the role of the mother strong enough to exert matriarchal influence, or is the culture totally patriarchal when it comes to blood feuds and the restoration of honor?

[slapout9]

Hi Rena, this is a little off target but I am on a Domestic Violence Task force in Alabama and one of the topics that always comes up is how women are treated in countries that engage in or support terrorism. They are often very brutal to their women. You probably have some first hand experience with that from your tours over there. Don not know if that helps any, but it is a thought.

[bismark17]

How about the cultivation of women to be terrorists such as the suicide bombers for Hamas or the Tamil Tigers or the black widows in Chechnya? I have seen some pretty disturbing videos of their use and there already exists some literature in the field. Or their use in support roles such as being weapon mules in hopes they will not be as closely searched going through checkpoints. I know gang bangers do it all the time here and also have them hold their dope. Just ideas....

[kaur]

Rena, my view on this topic is maybe too simple (which makes it universal), but it is drawn form very good book by James March "Primer on Decision Making: How Decisions Happen". The main point is that people never want negative backfeed to their behaviour. People are social animals, which means that they live in social networks that share common values. Behind the values there is always some big story, or narrative. If there are generated ideas of opposition to foreign power and there is organisation to express the opposition, then there must be plan how to do it. Clever people find appropriate roles for both men and women. What kind of roles both sexes recieve depends on culturel backround or on the other hand very pragmatic reasons.

Here is good article by Gordon McCormick "Terrorist decision making."

http://www.webfilehost.com/?mode=viewupload&id=9507517

[marct]

Hi Rena,

I am starting this discussion in the hopes that I can get some feedback and/or ideas for a possible working group or at least research paper.

Now for the question. I am looking to establish a link between coin, women's culture, terrorism and Irregular Warfare. I know it is broad, that is intentional.I will take the suggestions and narrow down a topic. My goal is to establish a link between one or all three, seperately, and Irregular Warfare.

I am always a little wary when I see a phrase like "women's culture" . In all honesty, I think you would be better off the list either a specific culture, say "Afghan women" (which is still too broad), or "Hamas women". On of the problems the Feminist movement ran into about 15-20 years ago was their use of monolithic constructions of women's culture - not surprising given the Marxist models that ae at the base of most feminist theorizing.

On interesting example of the type of link I think you are trying to get at comes from the communist insurgency in Northern Sudan from the 1980's. In much of Northern Sudan, FGM is a fairly well established practice, but the insurgents, who were trying to recruit women, got around that practice by teaching young girls to kill. Anyone who had at least one kill or fire-fight was considered to have met all the cultural requirements "usuall" associated as the product of the FGM rituals. BTW, I had that as a story from an Anthropologist in the field - I don't think he ever published it, so I can't give you back up references.

While you are trying to refine your specific topic, you might want might want to try and build a rough theoretical model a a Merton's mid-range theory. Something along the lines of "within culture X, these actions/roles tend to be male and these tend to be female; they are culturally justified by institutions Y,Z and A. Insurgencies need actions B, C, D (etc) to succeed and, of these actions, D is "usually" female. How, then, does an insurgency in Culture X mobilize women?"

That's a really bare bones approach, but it might help you in thinking about specifics and in what sorts of data you will need. Since you also note that

I want to get your thoughts on what would be a viable research topic, something of use to the soldier on the ground and if you can offer a topic that wasn't listed pls feel free.

I think this might be a good place to start. At least, this way, you would be able to tailor specifics for different cultural settings.

I have gotten feed-back from the Marines as well. I'd use my own experience in Iraq and the 'Stan but it would be extremely biased. That being said any suggestions you offer would be of great use to me.

Well, as an Anthropologist, I would have t say that first hand experiences can be an excellent source of data - better than any "theory" produced by someone in an Ivory Tower . Is t going to be biased? Sure, of course it is. Were you labouring under the misapprehension that some white dude sitting in his office on the 22nd floor of a university tower will have a better understanding of women in an insurgency half the world away? (Oh, wait a second - MY office is on the 22nd floor!!!).

Marc

[Rena]

JCurtis,

That's a very good question. I believe that with all of the information that I have been able to gather from the responses that will make an excellent research paper. Thank you for your imput.

[Rena]

No that's not off topic at all. Domestic violence does have an impact on women's culture. Thank you!!

[Rena]

This is great stuff and I will start my research today on the groups referenced. This is excellent thank you.

[Rena]

I think you are dead on when you speak about the narrative of a culture. I definitely am going to have to pull that thread when I start researching. I will also throw some questions at you if you don't mind.

[marct]

Hi Rena,

This may be a useful article for you. You may need to go through a library with a subscription to get the article.

Gender, Power, and the Performance of Justice: Muslim Women's Responses to Domestic Violence in Kazakhstan
Edward Snajdr
American Ethnologist, Vol. 32, No. 2. (May, 2005), pp. 294-311.

Abstract
The grassroots assistance that Muslim women activists provide to victims of domestic abuse in Kazakhstan differs significantly from approaches commonly used by service providers in the United States. Yet the activists' informal remedies, which are shaped by discourses of religion and ethnicity and which have attracted women who seek something other than safety or formal justice, are implicitly regulated by cultural politics. By examining particular cases, I show how activists prescribe gender ideologies that guide victims' choices while supporting their own group's broader political goals. These findings may help in understanding the dynamics of women's political agency outside the state.

Marc

[Rena]

Wow, thank you very much for the suggestions and the information, great stuff!!! I will do as you advised as far as the model is concerned and I happen to know an anthroplogist, a friend of a friend of a friend, who may give me a push in the right direction as well. ..Oh thank you for this abstract!!! I am going to the library at lunchtime to see what I can find.

[Tom Odom]

Rena,

There are some interesting (poor choice of words but others get too emotional) issues on women with regards to the genocide and Rwanda.

A. Deliberate targeting of women for organized rape; see Linda Melvern's work--1st woman ever convicted for crimes against humanity was the former Minister of Families (or something like that) a woman who led some of the rape gangs; some 250,000 RECORDED/WITNESSED/REPORTED rapes in 100 days

B. Post genocide role of women in Rwanda is dramatically different than pre-war roles Causes:
1. Elimination of males from target groups
2. Rwandan Patriotic Front policies before, during, and after the war have steadily empowered women--the Mayor of Kigali was MAJ Rose who was an RPA combatant and commissar (again lack of a better word)

Look at PBS Frontline, HRW, and USIP for sources

Best

Tom

[sgmgrumpy]

This was back in 2004.

'Jihad' magazine for women on web
By Sebastian Usher
BBC World Media correspondent


Radical Islamists have launched a new magazine publication on the internet especially for women.
The aim of the magazine is to show women how to reconcile the apparent contradiction of fighting jihad while maintaining family life.

The magazine is called Al-Khansa, after a famous Arab woman poet in the early days of Islam, who wrote eulogies to male relatives who had died in battle.

It appears to be the first "jihadist" publication aimed exclusively at women.

The magazine says it is published by an organisation called "The Women's Media Bureau in the Arabian Peninsula".

BBC World
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3594982.stm

[Rena]

Tom,

Great info another angle I can explore! Much thanks!!!

[Rena]

Thank you SGM Grumpy
This is good stuff!!!

[Stan]

Hello Rena,
Here's a very interesting article regarding a Latvian female officer who recently returned from Mazare-Sharif, Afghanistan.

http://www.balticguide.ee/index.php/a3327

And finally, the obvious question: How has your experience in the army been affected by the fact that you are a woman?
Yes this is a usual question! Personally, it’s no problem for me to be a female and a soldier, and at work I am treated as just an officer. Soldiers have no problems taking orders from me. There is not so much negative attitude, but there is high competition for me to be in my best physical condition. I also think that being a woman helps with my communication and helps me to be more diplomatic. However, in Afghanistan, some locals can be defensive against NATO – especially against a female officer.

Regards, Stan

[Rena]

Thank you I did find that article interesting. It raises more questions for me in regards to other militaries and their use of female soldiers

[marct]

Hi Rena,

Here's another one that just came out. It's part of a special issue dealing with "Doing Case Study Research in Organizations".

Kisfalvi, Veronika 2006
Subjectivity and Emotions as Sources of Insight in an Ethnographic Case Study: A Tale of the Field, M@n@gement, 9: 3, 109-127.
This article argues that case studies conducted within an ethnographic framework always contain an element of subjectivity and emotionality given the close relationships that researchers establish with participants in the field, and that while these elements can be a source of bias, they can also be transformed into valuable sources of insight as long as they are acknowledged and examined. Through the example of a lived field experience, this paper discusses how the subjective and emotional quality of the relationship established between researcher and participant, once examined, brought a deeper level of understanding and a greater degree of objectivity to findings obtained during an ethnographic case study carried out in an entrepreneurial firm. The methodological implications of the roles played by subjectivity and emotions in this type of research are also discussed.

Marc

[sgmgrumpy]

While many women and girls can arguably be described primarily as victims, their willingness to participate in atrocities, even if their primary motivation for joining the fighting was to feed and protect their families, should not be glossed over.21 One group of female combatants, the Women’s Artillery Commandos (WAC), comprised young women who fought alongside the LURD. A Liberian health minister was quoted as saying that female combatants were preferred because, “they don’t get drunk
and they take their mission very seriously.”

While many women ex-combatants reported surviving sexual violence at the hands of both the LURD and forces associated with Charles Taylor’s regime prior to joining the WAC, they were, in turn, capable of facilitating sexual violence against women. One woman interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that she and other female soldiers purposefully captured female prisoners in order to provide women for male soldiers to have sexual relations with, whether through choice or by force. The girl soldiers described how they sought out female prisoners in order to provide a different target for possible rape and other sexual assaults from their male companions.

Gender and Disarmament
http://www.womenwarpeace.org/issues/...ingitright.pdf