Peacebuilding, Liberian Women, and the Invisible Hand of Conflict in the Postwar Era

Authors

Selina Gallo-Cruz, College of the Holy Cross
Renée Remsberg, Wellesley College

Abstract

Liberian women gained international acclaim for their courage and persistence in bringing warring factions into a peace agreement in 2003, after a 14-year-long civil war that devastated the country, with over 250,000 killed, millions displaced, and a population left traumatized and in political and economic ruin. This study explores the challenges that women have faced in the years following the civil war with a focus on whether the international community has supported women’s advancements in Liberia. We find that while some efforts to support gender mainstreaming have been helpful, there remain serious political, economic, and social inequalities that threaten both women’s peacebuilding and women’s general security and social mobility. In this essay we present a feminist framework for sustainable peace to address the visible and invisible arenas in which both physical and structural forms of violence continue in Liberia, threatening the peace on multiple levels. Among the issues commonly addressed—political corruption, the persistence of a culture of violence against women, and outbreaks of violence in local conflicts—we argue that the international community must also address the inequities and conflicts arising around extractive industries to support the best outcomes for women and for peace in Liberia.

Recommended Citation

Gallo-Cruz, Selina and Remsberg, Renée (2021) "Peacebuilding, Liberian Women, and the Invisible Hand of Conflict in the Postwar Era," The Journal of Social Encounters: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, 77-105.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/social_encounters/vol5/iss2/8