“Women in War: The Case of El Salvador,” with Jocelyn Viterna

Lawrence 166
1190 Franklin Blvd.
UO campus
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Waging war has historically been an almost exclusively male endeavor. Yet over the past several decades, women have joined insurgent armies in significant and surprising numbers. Why do women become guerrilla insurgents? What experiences do they have in guerrilla armies? What are the consequences of this participation for the women themselves and the societies in which they live?

Jocelyn Viterna, an associate professor of sociology at Harvard University, answers these questions while providing a rare look at guerrilla life from the viewpoint of rank-and-file participants. Using data from 230 in-depth interviews with men and women guerrillas, guerrilla supporters, and non-participants in rural El Salvador, she investigates why some women were able to channel their wartime actions into post-war gains, and how those patterns differ from the benefits that accrued to men. › Continue reading

Tags: Jocelyn Viterna, Women in War