Gender, Violence and Post-Conflict States

Understanding the gendered dynamics of violence in conflict and post-conflict situations is crucial to anyone considering a career in international development. In this course you will learn about the gendered dynamics of different types of violence, restorative justice, Apartheid, peacekeeping, and international policy frameworks on sexual and gender-based violence.

Taught by acclaimed international experts in collaboration with GRÓ GEST, this course will bring a gender lens to complex issues in international development that will allow you to analyze and address political conflict situations in ways that are more just and inclusive.

Week 1: The course begins by introducing learners to different kinds of violence in armed conflict, noting how the notion of narrative construction is an important theoretical tool for understanding violence in global contexts.

Week 2: Here you will learn about the political events that eventually led to the global acknowledgement and condemnation of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict.

Week 3: A brief introduction to the concept of Restorative Justice. Instructors will ask learners to consider how societies and communities move on from experiences of collective trauma.

Week: 4: The historical example of Apartheid in South Africa will be used a major case study to examine different types of gendered conflict-related violence and repression, as well as restorative measures in a post-conflict context.

Week 5: Following from the notion of post-conflict development measures, the course turns to the topic of peacekeeping and examines its history, effectiveness and gendered dynamics.

Week 6: The course wraps up with a critical discussion of some of the normative and policy frameworks that guide political decision-making on the issue of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence in international development.