Celebrating Women Conscientious Objectors
War Resisters' International Appeal, April 2010
Dear friend and supporter of War Resisters' International,
The history of anti-war and peace movements is peppered with the names of women, and throughout the 20th century, feminist thinkers and activists were deepening the critique militarism. Since the 1970s, WRI has played a useful role in highlighting the connections between feminism and nonviolence, militarism and patriarchy, but there has always been one gap. Women have initiated movements against military service right up to the present time, but because they themselves have not usually been conscripted for combat duty, women conscientious objectors to military service have largely remained “hidden from history”.
WRI's next publication seeks to rectify this neglect. As a regular supporter of WRI, you might well have received reports about what happens to women refusing conscription in Eritrea and Israel. If you receive the Broken Rifle, you will be also aware that the theme of this year's International Conscientious Objection Day (15 May) is Gender and Militarism, with a focal event in Paraguay. Now, with this appeal, we also proudly announce the publication of our new book – Women Conscientious Objectors – An Anthology.
edited by Ellen Elster & Majken Jul Sørensen, preface by Cynthia Enloe, ISBN 978-0-903517-22-5, £8.00 plus postage, Order online at /node/9873" data-embed-button="image_embed" data-entity-embed-display="image:responsive_image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"responsive_image_style":"body_inline_1_3","image_link":""}" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bf2e5e60-df83-475e-a1d8-d71150482aa2" title="">
For War Resisters' International, the links between patriarchy and militarism are central to understanding and countering the sources of war. Thus, supporting women conscientious objectors, but also working towards changing masculinities and femininities, are an integral part of War Resisters' International's work against militarism and war.
To continue and further develop this work, we ask you kindly to support War Resisters' International and its continued work for a world without war. Please give generously, and/or buy the book.
Thank you!
Andreas Speck
Right to Refuse to Kill Programme Worker
PS: To subscribe to WRI's Broken Rifle e-newsletter, please go to http://lists.wri-irg.org/sympa/info/thebrokenrifle
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