The Paradox of Peace: Violence Against Women in the Aftermath of Civil War
Authors: Angie Torres-Beltran, Priscilla Torres, Taylor Vincent, Zinab Attai, Sumin Lee, and Sabrina Karim
Synopsis: Do wars improve women's status? Recent scholarship argues that transitions after inter-state and intra-state war disrupt traditional hierarchies and open up space for improvements in women's rights. Yet, while women's political and legal status may improve, less is known regarding women's security and safety in post-conflict societies. We build on this work to show that there is variation in women's status after inter-state and intra-state wars. While women may experience improvements in their ability to participate in politics or enjoy more rights, violence against women remains a problem. Using a cross-national, time-series data set with a variety of measures of women's status, we examine the differential effect of inter and intra-state wars on women's rights and violence against women. We demonstrate that while women's political and legal rights increase after war, violence against women persists, and in some cases, higher than during the conflict period. Our work sheds light on women's status after war to demonstrate that despite advances in women's political and legal rights, women's everyday security and safety remains an issue.
Gender-based Violence, State Formation, and Development
Author: Angie Torres-Beltran
Synopsis: In the first paper of my dissertation—which will turn into the book project from the dissertation—“The Historical Origins of the Gendered State and its Contemporary Implications: Theory and Evidence from Mexico,” I develop a framework for comparative analysis that identifies when and how gender-based violence has been key to the development and persistence of modern states. Scholars of state-building have long understood war as the driving force that leads to the modern state. However, I argue that gender-based violence is essential to state formation, development, and capacity. To assess these claims, I conduct a historical case analysis of the Mexican state by drawing on archival and other historical data to demonstrate that gender roles in the revolution, conflict-related sexual violence, and gendered governance in rebel groups was crucial to the formation and development of the Mexican state. Similar events in other Latin American countries suggest that my theory has explanatory power in many other national settings, including developed countries. As part of this broader comparative lens, I plan to place my research within the wider context of state-building, state formation, and state capacity in modern states and apply my theoretical insights and empirical findings to other national contexts as I develop the book manuscript. My work provides a necessary conceptualization of state formation and advances our knowledge of state development and gender equality.