Historians should care about Women, Peace and Security

History can benefit WPS.

Historians are often keenly aware of nuances that can temper the sometimes-broad claims of other disciplines. That’s why they are natural constituents for the area of study and praxis known as “Women Peace and Security” or, affectionately, “WPS.”

Women Peace and Security practitioners and scholars often hail from sociology or critical theory in political science, which have given the field its character and set its course. As the area of study became internationally recognized and then entered U.S. law in 2017 and became part of U.S. foreign policy, it was opened to increased scholarly, political, and practical scrutiny. That is all for the good.

Historians have a key role to play. WPS practitioners often cite research that makes broad claims about the nature of peace agreements, the impact of the differences between men and women on society, and the potential for unrest and conflict. What WPS needs is perspective, and historians can contribute much.

We can certainly see trends in WPS, but a good historian always recognizes that there can and are exceptions to any trend.

In that light, historians can help bring a perspective and nuance that reminds practitioners that yes, the internationally agreed upon WPS framework, as we understand it today, is new and came into being at the United Nations Security Council in 2000 with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and into U.S. law in 2017. But concepts and principles of what is now called WPS are not, in fact, new. And this is a good thing, there is much more to learn from than relying only on contemporary modern cases.

WPS can lead to new knowledge.

For their own research, I propose that historians look at WPS as an opportunity to formulate new questions and ultimately obtain new knowledge of the past.

Historians can better understand historical cases, people, and societies by asking if WPS principle were present and if the differences between men and women in that society had wider impacts both domestically and internationally.

Next time you are researching the cause of a war, a rebellion, or an insurgency, perhaps consider how women impacted the events, experienced violence and unrest in different ways, and shaped the successful or failed efforts to secure and sustained peace after a conflict. And determine these answers, not on already existing claims, but on specific evidence, solid scholarship and methodology, and primary sources.

And if you have already answered these questions, consider engaging in the WPS space to bring your research into the broader conversation.

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Grace Hoffman.