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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LSE Research Online Engaging men and boys in the Women, Peace and Security agenda: beyond the "good men" industry LSE Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104031/ Version: Published Version Monograph: Duriesmith, David (2017) Engaging men and boys in the Women, Peace and Security agenda: beyond the "good men" industry. Women, Peace and Security Working Paper Series (11/2017). Centre for Women Peace and Security, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. Reuse Items deposited in LSE Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the LSE Research Online record for the item. [email protected] https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/ ENGAGING MEN AND BOYS IN THE WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY AGENDA: BEYOND THE “GOOD MEN” INDUSTRY David Duriesmith 11/2017 + Since the signing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) in October 2000, there have been two explicit references to men in resolutions on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. For the first 13 years of the agenda resolutions included men by default without naming them directly, referring to gender broadly and many particular instances of violence presumably caused by men.1 The first explicit mention appeared in 2013 in Resolution 2106, which mentioned “the enlistment of men and boys in the effort to combat all forms of violence against women.” Resolution 2106 was followed up in 2015 by Resolution 2242, which reiterated “the important engagement by men and boys as partners in promoting women’s participation in the prevention and resolution of armed conflict, peacebuilding and post-conflict situations”. These direct mentions of men within the WPS architecture limit the agenda to that of “enlisting” or “engaging” men and boys in achieving the goals of WPS, rather than a more sustained treatment of men and masculinities. While the focus on men and boys has entailed a broad effort to expand WPS to the “other side of gender”, the majority of current actions appear to follow the language within UNSCRs 2106 and 2242 by focusing on “engaging men and boys”.2 This work, deemed “engagement work” in the longer history of attempts to engage which have co-opted feminist spaces; and this paper, has involved a range of attitudinal men in feminist politics and argues that the 6) the creation of a neo-liberal “good change programs that either work directly current forms of “engagement work” are men” industry. The paper begins by with groups of men or conduct awareness set to replicate the most pervasive tensions explaining what “engagement work” is campaigns which encourage men to become between the expansive goals of actors and and how it connects to the WPS agenda. partners in bringing about the aims of the the actual programmes that have been seen It then charts the origins of “engagement agenda. Whereas “engagement work” within national anti-violence campaigns. work” in pro-feminist men’s organising appears to be relatively novel within the These six tensions are seen in efforts which before investigating the tensions present WPS space, it reflects a particular strain of have 1) a lack of clarity; 2) projects that in this work. Finally, it considers how we work from men in support of feminism that reify masculinity; 3) agendas to engage might learn from the tensions present in originated in the various 1970s and 1980s men without holding them responsible; engagement work in order to guide future men’s movements. This paper situates the 4) those who hold up dominant men as work on and with men within WPS. new push for “engagement work” within ambassadors for change; 5) programmes David Duriesmith is a Post-doctoral Fellow in the School of Political Science & International Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia. “ENGAGEMENT WORK” that have emerged so far.5 A brief survey AND WPS of the literature focused on the role of men and masculinities in causing violence To claim that the WPS framework has 1 Outside of the WPS framework there is a shows profound debates over the correct longer history of attempts to engage men been inattentive to the role of men and language to describe violence, on men’s and boys at the United Nations. These include masculinities in addressing the needs of the 1995 Beijing Declaration which included collective complicity, the role of material the call to “encourage men to participate women and girls in armed conflict and peace fully in all actions towards equality.” structure compared to discursive factors processes is not to suggest that men have and the relationship between masculinity 2 United States Institute for Peace, Men, been entirely ignored within WPS. After all, Peace, and Security Symposium: Agents and other axes of oppression.6 Similarly, of Change (Washington DC: United States many actors working on the WPS agenda Institute for Peace, 2013), https://www. work on the role of men and masculinities in usip.org/events/men-peace-and-security- either explicitly name gender norms of ending violence is mediated by tensions over symposium-agents-change; Joseph Vess, masculinity as a primary cause of violence Gary Barker, Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini the usefulness of hegemonic masculine role and Alexa Hassink, The other side of or implicitly invoke the spectre of men as the models, men’s accountability to women’s gender: men as critical agents of change abusers of women.3 However, the paucity of (Washington DC: United States Institute organisations and funding to support men of Peace, 2013), http://www.usip.org/sites/ attention to the role of men is reflective of and gender diverse communities who have default/files/SR340.pdf the wording in the original WPS resolution been targeted by gender-based violence.7 3 Donna Pankhurst, “‘What is wrong with (UNSCR 1325), which contained no mention men?’: revisiting violence against women in conflict and peacebuilding”, Peacebuilding 4 of men, as Cockburn explains: (2) (2016): 180-193. The primary model for targeting men and boys in WPS action is what this paper 4 Cynthia Cockburn, “War and security, ‘The Resolution’s focus had been on women and gender: An overview of the calls “engagement work.” This approach, issues”, Gender & Development 21 (3) women – as victims to be sorry for, championed by member organisations of (2013): 433-452. as competent actors with use-value The Men Engage Alliance (coordinated by 5 Henri Myrttinen, Jana Naujoks and Judy El- in peace-making, and as potential Bushra, Re-thinking Gender in Peacebuilding Sonke Gender Justice and Promundo-US),8 (London: International Alert, 2014). decision-makers. Nothing had been said has undertaken the project of trying to get 6 Coalition of Feminists for Social Change, either, during the drafting and redrafting men and boys involved as active participants “Reframing language of ‘gender- of the Resolution and its negotiated based violence’ away from feminist in promoting women’s peace and security. underpinnings”, Feminist Perspectives passage through the Security Council, This work has been built on a few core on Addressing Violence Against Women about men and masculine cultures and Girls Series 2 (2017); Coalition of beliefs including: “questioning men’s and Feminists for Social Change, “Funding: of violence. There was much in the Whose priorities?”, Feminist Perspectives on women’s attitudes and expectations about Addressing Violence Against Women and Resolution 1325 text about women’s gender roles”; promoting positive alternative Girls Series 4 (2017). sexual vulnerability, nothing about models of manhood, showing men that they 7 Michael Salter, “‘Real men don’t hit women’: those who were the main source of Constructing masculinity in the prevention benefit from gender equality; encouraging of violence against women”, Australian and danger to women. It noted women’s direct participation; and broad support for New Zealand Journal of Criminology 49 (1) absence from significant positions, not (2016): 463-479; Jeff Hearn, “The uses and existing UN mandates.9 These core beliefs abuses of the political category of ‘men’: the overwhelming presence of men in are underlined by a model of societal Activism, policy and theorising”, in Engaging places of power.’4 Men in Building Gender Equality, ed. change that emphasises the importance Michael Flood and Richard Howson (London: of attitude change among young men.10 Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015): 34-54. The reticence to talk about men directly This “engagement work” proceeds from 8 Sonke Gender Justice is a South African pro- has meant that the impact of violence feminist organisation who have pioneered the idea that if you change men’s attitudes work with men and boys on building gender committed by men has remained in central (and particularly young men’s attitudes due equality across the region. Promundo is focus on WPS, while little attention has a consortium founded in Brazil and now to their unique stage in the life cycle) about has branches in Brazil, the USA, the DRC been paid to what men or masculinities and Portugal. Promundo is the largest what it means to be a man and to achieve have to do with causing it. This imprecision organisation devoted to engagement work “gender equality”, then this will facilitate and is active in 22 countries with the support presents distinct challenges for an agenda of the UN, the World Bank and the World wider societal shifts around gender and Health Organization.