Liberia's women veterans : war, roles and reintegration / Leena Vastapuu ; illustrated by Emmi Nieminen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vastapuu, Leena, 1983- author.

Contributor:

Nieminen, Emmi, 1988- illustrator.

Series:

Politics and development in contemporary Africa

Politics and development in contemporary Africa.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women soldiers--Liberia.

Women soldiers.

Child soldiers--Liberia.

Child soldiers.

Women veterans--Rehabilitation--Liberia.

Women veterans.

Child soldiers--Rehabilitation--Liberia.

Veteran reintegration--Liberia.

Veteran reintegration.

History.

Rehabilitation.

Liberia--History--Civil War, 1989-1996--Women.

Liberia.

Liberia--History--Civil War, 1989-1996--Participation, Juvenile.

Liberia--History--Civil War, 1999-2003--Women.

Liberia--History--Civil War, 1999-2003--Participation, Juvenile.

Physical Description:

xvi, 214 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Zed Books, [2018]

Summary:

The Liberian civil wars of the 1990s and 2000s became notorious for their atrocities, and for the widespread use of child soldiers. Girls and young women accounted for up to 40 per cent of these soldiers, but their perspectives and experience have largely been excluded from accounts of the conflict. In Liberia's Women Veterans, Leena Vastapuu uses an innovative auto-photographic methodology to tell the story of two of Africa's most brutal civil wars through the eyes of 133 female former soldiers. Incorporating their testimonies alongside a series of vivid illustrations by Emmi Niemtnen, the book provides an in-depth account of these women's experiences of trauma, stigma, and the challenges of reintegration into post-war society, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future. Vastapuu argues that these women, too often perceived merely as passive victims of the conflict, can in fact play an important role in post-war reconciliation and peace-building. Overturning gendered perceptions of warfare and militarism, the book provides a unique take on humanitarian practices and post-conflict societies, making essential reading for policymakers as well as students and scholars across the humanities and social sciences. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction : Hell is the absolute lack of being heard

Auto-photographing rivers of insecurities

Girl and women soldiers in Liberia's civil wars

DDR : Disarmament, Disillusionment and Remarginalization

Social rafting in post-war Liberia

Let my children's future be alright.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [187]-204) and index.

ISBN:

9781786990815

1786990814

OCLC:

1029849239