Gendering Peace Psychology

AbstractGender perspectives are central to peace psychology. This may be argued from the point of view of gender and conflict studies, a growing interdisciplinary field of research. Thorough analyses of gender relations and their intersections with other categories, such as ethnicity, sexuality, and class, have contributed substantially to understanding the dynamics of violent conflict. From this point of view, any discipline concerned with the study of peace and conflict cannot do without a gender analysis. Besides this, the relevance of gender perspectives to peace psychology may be argued from a normative stance. Most definitions of peace psychology emphasize a normative commitment towards negative and positive peace, towards ending direct violence and achieving social justice. It was mainly feminist scholars and activists who pointed out that this should apply to both menandwomen. In a broad debate, feminist definitions of peace, conflict, and security have been developed. They account for diverse forms of violence against women and men, including violence in the so‐called private sphere of the home, and define gender equality as an inseparable part of peace. Three threads of gendering peace psychology will be discussed in this article: (1) gendered experiences in peace and conflict, (2) gendering methods of conflict management, and (3) gender theoretical analysis of the formation of war and peace.