Waging Peace:
The Role of Women and Conflict Management in West Africa
Jennifer De Maio
University of California, Los Angeles
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Abstract: This paper attempts to critically assess the relevance of a gender framework of peace
through the theoretical and empirical analysis of the roles women have played in conflict
management operations in West Africa. The study considers gendered theories of war and peace,
discusses the impact of conflict on women’s daily lives and the role women have played in
conflict resolution, evaluates the difficult challenges women still face as participants in the
peacekeeping in Africa, and concludes with a consideration of the impact of gender on the peace
process. The paper follows a case study approach and centers on the analysis of women and
conflict management in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, Nigeria, and the Mano River Union
countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.
* Prepared for delivery at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science
Association, September 2 - September 5, 2004. Copyright by the American Political Science
Association.