| Personal interviews with female soldiers in Sierra Leone in 2005 largely shape the central questions of this dissertation. In particular, this dissertation asks what types of "conflicts" continue for women in the so-called post-conflict period? I compare my interview data with dominant representations of women and girls in conflict to problematize the following: the depiction of "womenandchildren" as a coherent category; the understanding that the notion of "post-conflict" as a seamless move from war to peace; and, the dominant definition of "women's empowerment." I argue that "conflict" has been defined and conceptualized in both development and international relations scholarship far too narrowly. The traditional focus on public violence and the political timeline of war (including the declared beginning and end to conflict) has eclipsed necessary investigations into the complex and lasting impacts of war. I argue that---particularly for women---violence against the body, and regulation of the body and the self, along with silence and fear, continued in Sierra Leone long after the official end to the war. In addition, I reveal the liberal nature of development programs and how this has manifested into policies that reproduce and restrict the nuclear family. I contend that non-governmental organizations and development institutions act as governing bodies, which institute and enforce specific gender norms and hierarchies. |
