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Biography

Jennifer Bates is an ESRC-funded doctoral candidate in the Department of War Studies, investigating how female ex-combatants from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) act politically in post-conflict Colombia. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE), and an MA in Spanish with Politics from the University of Edinburgh. Prior to commencing PhD study, Jennifer worked for three years as a political risk analyst specialising in the Latin American region.

Research Interests

Feminist IR; gender and peacebuilding; decolonial and postcolonial feminist theories; Latin American feminism; Colombian politics

Thesis Title

Insurgent feminism: women’s agency and feminist politics in the context of transition from war to peace in Colombia

Abstract

Extant literature on gender, conflict and peace in diverse post-conflict spaces and temporalities points to the (re)-marginalisation and de-politicisation of female ex-combatants, even amongst rebel groups that adopted feminist discourse and practices. And yet, in 2016 the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced it was formulating its own line of feminism thought, known as ‘insurgent feminism,’ as it transitioned into a political party. This thesis examines both the distinctiveness of insurgent feminism and the processes and factors that influenced its emergence. In particular, it investigates the different modes of political agency that emerge among female FARC ex-combatants at the intersection of insurgent feminism and the dominant paradigm of liberal peace and politics in post-conflict Colombia. In doing so, this thesis seeks to add to a small but much needed body of literature that deepens understandings of gendered agency and feminist politics in the aftermath of conflict.

Supervisors

Professor Vivienne Jabri (primary); Dr Jelke Boesten (secondary)