Conference on Women and Conflict
Women and Conflict: from 1916 to the Good Friday Agreement
A one-day conference at the Helix, Dublin City University, Wed 13th April 2016
The aim of the conference is to examine the contested themes around the relationship of women and feminism to political violence, in the context of the commemoration of 1916. It will explore the radical contribution of the women who took part in the 1916 Rising and of those women who were drawn into political activism in its aftermath. It will discuss the legacy of that activism for the development of the Irish state. It will also acknowledge the activism and views of those women who opposed the Rising from diverging perspectives. It will develop these themes and focus on the relationship between women's engagement with political violence and its impact on achieving progressive political, economic, and social rights for women. It asks what is the relationship between nationalism, political violence and feminism? Is nationalism inherently anti-feminist and does conflict in all circumstances retard women's progress? These themes are also a key part of the modern debate on the relationship between gender, conflict and peace building and these linkages will be explored through a discussion of the role of gender in the Good Friday Agreement and the impact of the gendered nature of the conflict on the formulation of the peace process. The conference will conclude with a discussion of the relevance of the Irish case, from 1916 to the Good Friday Agreement, for current debates on gender and violent conflicts, exemplified by UNSCR 1325 (2000) and current EU initiatives.
If you are interested in attending the conference, please register here or contact us at women.conference1916@dcu.ie
Programme
9.30: Registration and coffee
10.15-10.30: Welcome address by Professor John Doyle (Director Institute for International Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction)
10.30-12.30: Women in 1916: Activism and Legacy
- Women of the rebel army, 1916: class background and role, Dr Ann Mathews (Historian, author and playwright)
- Transgressing gender roles: women and the 1916 rebellion , Dr Leeann Lane (DCU)
- Na Fianna Éireann and the Easter Rising, Dr Marnie Hay (DCU)
- The legacy of women’s engagement in 1916, Dr Eileen Connolly (DCU)
- Chair: Susan Saunders (Society of Friends)
12.30-13.30: Lunch break
13.30 – 15.15: Panel Discussion: From 1916 to the Good Friday Agreement, debating gender, nationalism and conflict
- Dr Robin Whitaker (Memorial University of Newfoundland, also member of the Women’s Coalition and was involved in the negotiation of the Good Friday agreement)
- Bronagh Hinds (Peace Activist and founder member of the Women’s Coalition and was involved in the negotiation of the Good Friday agreement)
- Catriona Ruane (Sinn Fein Assembly Member and former Minister of Education)
- Speaker from SDLP (to be confirmed)
- Chair: Dr Donnacha Ó Beacháin (DCU)
15.15-15.30: Coffee break
15.30-17.00: Panel Discussion: Conflict and Gender, the international debates
- Dr Maura Conway (Voxpol)
- Dr Ken McDonagh (DCU)
- Dr Maria-Adriana Deiana (DCU)
- Chair: Dr James Fitzgerald (DCU)
17.00: Closing remarks by Professor Gary Murphy (School of Law and Government DCU)
17.00-18.00: Wine Reception and viewing of the ‘77 Women Commemoration Quilt’
