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Protecting All Civilians
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| Political Science student, and recent MacArthur fellowship recipient, brings a new perspective to International Relations |
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Charli Carpenter’s graduate research examines the humanitarian response in war-torn Bosnia.
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At a recent campus lecture, Political Science graduate student Charli Carpenter spoke powerfully about her research on gender and humanitarian intervention in war-affected societies. "Throughout history," Carpenter said "armed conflict has been justified by reference to the protection of 'women and children,' because 'women and children' as civilians are presumably both 'innocent' and 'particularly vulnerable.'" But why, Carpenter asked, do we tend to presume that women and children are more "innocent," or "particularly vulnerable" than, say, unarmed or non-combatant men? Might our ideas about who is likely to be "vulnerable" and who is likely to be "combatant" be based upon gendered presumptions, rather than biological realities?
Carpenter's probing questions held the attention of a small audience in Hendricks Hall, who had gathered to hear her speak for the Center for the Study of Women and Society's (CSWS) "Wednesdays at Noon" lecture series. The recipient of the Jane Grant Dissertation Fellowship, Carpenter used her CSWS award monies to do an in-depth case study on mass evacuation procedures in Srebrenica, Bosnia. This research enabled her to compare "the 'gender realities' of citizens' vulnerability in times of war to the 'reality' of humanitarian protection initiatives."
Carpenter pointed out that in war-torn Bosnia, "the pattern of executing draft-age men and boys while permitting women, children, and the elderly to flee was repeated throughout the conflict." In such situations, where men and boys may have been more "vulnerable" to death, one might expect humanitarian workers to have considered evacuating captive men and boys at least as quickly as the other members of a community. But Carpenter's research revealed that despite the immediate vulnerability of men and boys, humanitarian workers "typically evacuated only women, children and the elderly from besieged areas." The actions of humanitarian protection workers in Bosnia suggest that culturally inherited preconceptions-which typically ally vulnerability with women and combativeness with men-might influence the ways in which humanitarian workers protect civilians in times of crisis.
Carpenter wonders if these types of gendered preconceptions might be detrimental to our social structures in times of war and peace. "The idea that states and armies exist to protect 'women and children' serves to create a notion of manhood that correlates to militarism; to define women, like children, as objects of state protection rather than agents; and to gloss over the extent to which both women and children are actually victimized both by soldiers on the 'other' side and by their 'own' men in times of war," Carpenter said. "Real attention to gender and to women's needs means disrupting simplistic stereotypes: that women and children are all innocent, all especially vulnerable, all alike. Addressing gender assumptions is also crucial in protecting civilian men and boys in humanitarian emergencies."
Other feminist International Relations scholars might suggest that research like this runs the risk of taking attention and resources away from women, who, one might argue, have been marginalized for so long. Carpenter maintains that though this is a valid concern, her work does not undermine but rather contributes to women's human rights causes. "Identifying both men and women as civilians and combatants, as potential victims and perpetrators, is a step toward undermining [a militaristic system], and it is also a step toward creating better policy for protecting all civilians: men, children and women."
Carpenter has been committed to creating new frameworks since she began studying political science at the UO. When she first started to consider gender as a theoretical framework in International Relations, none of the UO faculty in her field specialized in gender. But, Carpenter says, "all of them were willing to humor me." Carpenter especially noted the support she gained from former professor Robert Darst, who "sparked" her interests in humanitarian issues and comparative genocide studies, and Associate Professor Ronald Mitchell, who always pushed her "to make the most rigorous argument possible."
These days, Charli Carpenter garners support from a number of organizations. After completing the research funded by CSWS, Carpenter was awarded a grant from the MacArthur Foundation to fund her proposed research on a book about children of war rape. She plans to interview non-governmental organizations about the political and social issues involved in both treating forced pregnancy survivors and protecting their children.
It seems that all of Charli Carpenter's projects are motivated by the vision of a true humanitarian.
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1245 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR • 97403-1245
(541) 346.3950 • FAX (541) 346.3282 • alumnidev@cas.uoregon.edu
Copyright © 2003 University of Oregon
Updated May 6, 2003
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