Women PeaceMakers Narratives

The IPJ believes that women’s stories go beyond headlines to capture the nuance of complex situations and expose the realities of gender-based violence, thus providing an understanding of conflict and an avenue to its transformation. The narrative stories of Women PeaceMakers not only provide this understanding, but also show the myriad ways women construct peace in the midst of and after violence and war. For the realization of peace with justice, the voices of women – those severely affected by violent conflict and struggling courageously and creatively to build community from the devastation – must be recorded, disseminated and spotlighted.*

Beginning with 2008, the reader will find narrative stories along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of the conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a:

• Brief biography of the peacemaker
• Historical summary of the conflict
• Timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker
• Question-and-answer transcript of select interviews
• Table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during their time at the IPJ

 

* A version of this paragraph first appeared in the article “‘Women Cannot Cry Anymore’: Global Voices Transforming Violent Conflict,” by Emiko Noma in Critical Half Vol. 5, No. 2 (2007). Copyright 2007 Women for Women International.