This course will consider how gender affects experiences of war and the subsequent mechanisms of redress and reparation which follow it. The course begins with an examination of gendered forms of violence, and the particular kinds of violence, including rape and sexual slavery, experienced by women during war. Through close readings about nation, gender, and the regions of South and Southeast Asia, the course will also question the units of analysis which inform our understanding of gender and war. The remainder of the course will focus on in-depth case studies, including Partition in India and Pakistan, women and counterinsurgency in Southeast Asia, women and girls living under the Khmer Rouge, women surviving war and building peace in Sri Lanka, and the roles of ethnic women’s groups in building peace in Burma.

By the end of this course, students will have a strong understanding of what constitutes a gendered analysis of war and peace and a detailed knowledge of the political, historical and cultural aspects of the cases studied. Students’ analytical skills will be strengthened as they learn how to both identify gaps in existing research and how they would design research and other projects with attention to how gender affects experiences of conflict and justice.

This course will be assessed through seminar participation (10%), four short reading responses (25%), one 1,000 word essay (25%), and one 3,000 word essay (40%).

8 hours per week: two for seminar attendance, and six for reading and writing. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on individual abilities in reading and writing.

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Intending students must have a Bachelor degree in a cognate discipline with a minimum Distinction average or equivalent.

Skidmore, Monique and Patricia Lawrence, eds. Women and the Contested State: Religion, Violence and Agency in South and Southeast Asia. South Bend: University of Notre Dame, 2007.

Students need access to a computer with a Microsoft Word and access to the internet.