[csaa-forum] CFP: special issue of Feminist Media Studies, Nov. 2005

[Kay WEAVER]

A special issue of Feminist Media Studies:

The Media Gendering of War and Conflict

Guest Editor: Dafna Lemish, Tel Aviv University


     Events such as the September 11, 2001 attacks on the USA as well as war or
conflict in Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, Palestine, Chechnya and Iraq, to
name but a few, have all been at the centre of world media attention. The sad truth is
that war and conflict are an everyday reality for many women, men and children all
over the globe. UN Security Council decision 1325 states that, "Most of the victims of
armed conflicts are civilians, especially women and children, who become refugees
in their own countries." The Security Council's decision also affirms the significance
of women's ongoing contributions to "the prevention of conflicts and in their peaceful
solutions", as well as the importance of their "equal participation and full involvement
in every effort towards peace and security."
     Despite this acknowledgement by the UN, world media portrayals of war and
conflict remains heavily dominated by patriarchal and colonial reasoning. What is
thus marginalized in the media as well as in wider public discourses are voices that
might begin to challenge these dominant views. In what ways do patriarchal and
colonial discourses shape public knowledge of war and conflict - their
circumstances, consequences and possible resolutions? Do women journalists offer
different frames and perspectives? What forms of masculinity are typically
represented in war stories? What is the nature of portraying the victimization of
women - sexual war crimes, war related slavery of girls, or bereavement? What form
of agency is assigned to women as fighters in armed forces, as activists in peace
movements, or as political leaders? Has the media's discussion of mothers' of
suicide- bombers challenged our normative conceptions of motherhood? Are the
portrayals of war and conflict-related suffering of women (and of children) sometimes
exploited by the media with the view to increasing audiences and if so, with what
wider social and political consequences? How might audiences make sense of
gendered representations of war and conflict?
     This special issue will provide a platform for discussions around the intersection
of gender, war and conflict across media genres - including the news, fictional film,
factual and entertainment television programming - and in all dimensions - from
media production, to texts and audience reception. Papers will draw upon rich
resources of feminist and critical gender-sensitive critique and diverse
methodological approaches to produce engaging and challenging analyses of the
discussion of war and conflict in the media.

Interested authors should, in the first instance, submit an abstract of 150-200 words
to Dafna Lemish (lemish at post.tau.ac.il) by no later than 15 September 2004. Upon
approval, completed articles of 8,000 words should be sent to Dafna Lemish via e-
mail by no later than 15 January 2005. The special issue will be published as
Volume 5, Number 3 of Feminist Media Studies, in November 2005.