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Call for Papers: 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
(including notes and references) 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(3), November 2005.

Dr Cynthia Carter
Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
Cardiff University
Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue
Cardiff, Wales, UK CF10 3NB
Tel: (0)2920 876172; Fax: (0)2920 238832
E-mail: cartercl_at_cardiff.ac.uk

Co-Editor, Feminist Media Studies
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14680777.asp

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Received on Sun Jul 25 2004 - 12:58:56 EDT