The role of women in peace-building: Liberia in perspective

Abstract

Much of the gender-based research on war and post-conflict societies focuses on the adverse effects of violent conflict on women. There is comparably less attention dedicated to analyzing the role of women in peace-building. This article contributes to filling this gap by examining the crucial role that women networks played in restoring political and economic stability in post-war Liberia. Based on a feminist participatory methodology, the paper demonstrates that though women were disproportionately affected during the civil wars that ravaged the country, they have been particularly instrumental in the peace process. The findings elucidated have academic as well as practical implications for how gender and violent conflict interrelate.