Expanding Understandings of Women, Peace and Security
Utilizing gender as a way of analysis to examine political power structures, this project aims to improve understandings of how gender norms and dynamics create and perpetuate insecurity. By considering masculinities, gender roles, and how WPS can serve people of diverse SOGIESC, this project seeks to promote systemic and institutional change for more positive and sustainable peace and security outcomes.
Masculinities and Power
The WPS agenda has too often overlooked how masculine norms shape defense policy, military culture, and strategic decision-making. This project examines how constructions of masculinity influence everything fro recruitment rhetoric to the use of force, and what happens when policymakers deliberately masculinize national security.
Inclusive Security
WPS was designed to protect those made vulnerable by conflict, but LGBTQ+ individuals remain largely invisible in its implementation. This project expands the agenda’s focus to include people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, as these populations are often targeted because they challenge rigid gender norms that fuel violence and instability.
