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Militarism, Gender and War in the Nordics

invitation only · SEMINAR · 01.02.2024 13:00 - 16:00

invitation only
Speakers

invitation only

Watch the Event here:

While the reinforcement of traditional security thinking due to Russian aggression and the current war in Europe have intensified militarization in the Nordic countries and beyond, critical perspectives have become almost taboo. Consequently, gender equality is no longer a foreign policy priority in the Nordic region, whereas issues of “hard security” now dominate foreign policy debates and discussions.

This seminar focuses on militarism from Feminist perspectives, with special emphasis on militarization of the Nordics. It is part of a workshop series of the FemWars community, which brings together researchers, practitioners and activists who share the belief that war is a Feminist issue. It is funded by the Joint Committee for Nordic Research Councils for the Humanities and the Social Sciences as well as the Foundation for Foreign Policy Research.

PROGRAM:

Opening words:
Noora Kotilainen , Senior Research Fellow, University of Helsinki; Non-resident fellow, FIIA
Leena Vastapuu, Assistant Professor & Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish Defense University

Keynote:
Cynthia Enloe , Research Professor, The Department of Sustainability and Social Justice at Clark University, Massachusetts
“ Women’s Wars are Not Men’s Wars: Does This Mean Women Are Harder to Militarise ?”

Discussion

14:30–15:00 Coffee break

Roundtable discussion: “Militarization starts during peacetime: Feminist perspectives on militarization of the Nordics”

Panelists:
Elin Berg, Doctoral Researcher in War Studies, Swedish Defense University
Zahra Edalati, PhD Researcher, Tampere Peace Research Institute, Tampere University
Laura Junka-Aikio, Professor of Northern Politics and Government, University of Lapland
Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir , Professor of International Affairs , University of Iceland

Chair:
Annick Wibben , Anna Lindh Professor, Swedish Defense University

Closing remarks & wrap up :
Annick Wibben , Anna Lindh Professor, Swedish Defense University

Speakers

Opening words

Noora Kotilainen

Senior Research Fellow, University of Helsinki; Non-resident fellow, FIIA

Noora Kotilainen is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, and a Non-Resident Fellow at FIIA, Principal Investigator (PI) of the project “The Language of Military Power in Finnish Democracy” and co-PI of the FemWars Community. She focuses on Media Studies and International Politics, militarism and representations of violence, wars and crises.

Leena Vastapuu

Assistant Professor & Associate Senior Lecturer, Swedish Defence University

Leena Vastapuu is an Assistant Professor and Associate Senior Lecturer in the area of gender, peace and security at the Swedish Defence University (FHS), and co-PI of the FemWars Community. Her research concentrates on women and girls in and around war, as well as everyday militarisation in the Nordics.

Keynote

Cynthia Enloe

Research Professor, The Department of Sustainability and Social Justice at Clark University, Massachusetts

Cynthia Enloe is an internationally renowned scholar whose work has shaped our understanding of global gender politics and militarism in profound ways. Professor Enloe’s feminist teaching and research have explored the interplay of gendered politics in both the national and international arenas. She is currently a Research Professor in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice at Clark University, Massachusetts. She has written more than 15 books and her new book Twelve Feminist Lessons of War (University of California Press, 9/2023) draws on first hand experiences of war from women in places as diverse as Ukraine, Myanmar, Somalia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Algeria, Syria, and Northern Ireland to show how women's wars are not men's wars. With her engaging trademark style, Cynthia Enloe demonstrates how patriarchy and militarism have embedded themselves in our institutions and our personal lives.

Panelists

Elin Berg

Doctoral Researcher in War Studies, Swedish Defense University

Elin Berg is a Doctoral Researcher in War Studies at the Swedish Defense University, where she is part of the Gender, Peace & Security research team. In her research, she explores formal and informal gender integration mechanisms and strategies in the Swedish Armed Forces, including the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights.

Zahra Edalati

PhD Researcher, Tampere Peace Research Institute, Tampere University

Zahra Edalati is a PhD researcher at the Tampere Peace Research Institute at Tampere University. In her research, she is looking at transnational networks of solidarity among Iranian women in Iran and in the diaspora. Her interests include feminist peace, everyday peace, intersectionality, identity politics and decolonizing perspective.

Laura Junka-Aikio

Professor of Northern Politics and Government, University of Lapland

Laura Junka-Aikio is Professor of Northern Politics and Government at the University of Lapland. She seeks to develop approaches to contemporary colonialism drawing especially on International Politics, Indigenous Studies and Cultural Studies.

Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir

Professor of International Affairs, University of Iceland

Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir is Professor of International Affairs at the University of Iceland and co-PI of the FemWars Community. Her research focuses on feminist politics, Icelandic security and foreign policy.

Chair

Annick Wibben

Anna Lindh Professor, Swedish Defence University

Annick Wibben is Anna Lindh Professor for gender, peace and security at the Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, and co-PI of the FemWars Community. She is best known for her work in Feminist Security & Peace Studies, but also has an interest in methodology and narrative.