Reforming masculinity: the politics of gender, race, militarism, and security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Conflict-related sexual violence has become an increasingly visible issue for feminists as well as various international actors. One of the ways in which global policymakers have tried to tackle this violence is through addressing the violent masculinity of security sector forces. While such efforts...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational feminist journal of politics Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 586 - 607
Main Author Massey, Rachel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 08.08.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Colonialism
Feminism
Gender
Gender-sensitive security sector reform
Masculinity
Militarism
Military operations
Military training
Policy making
Power
Race
Radicalism
Reforms
Security
sexual violence
Violence
Congo-Democratic Republic of Congo
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Summary:Conflict-related sexual violence has become an increasingly visible issue for feminists as well as various international actors. One of the ways in which global policymakers have tried to tackle this violence is through addressing the violent masculinity of security sector forces. While such efforts have their roots in feminist analyses of militarized masculinity, this article seeks to contribute to the critical discourse on gender-sensitive security sector reform (GSSR). There are three dimensions to my critical reading of GSSR. First, I ask what gendered and racialized power relations are reproduced through effort to educate male security agents about the wrongs of sexual violence. Second, I offer a critique of how GSSR normalizes military solutions to addressing sexual violence and strengthens the global standing of military actors. Finally, I bring these themes together in an analysis of the United States-led military training mission Operation Olympic Chase in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, I reveal the limitations of attempting to address sexual violence within the security sector without more radically confronting how gender, race, and militarism often work together to form the conditions for this violence. I conclude with some reflections on feminist complicity in upholding military power and the possibilities for developing global solidarity.
ISSN:1461-6742
1468-4470
DOI:10.1080/14616742.2021.1937267