Unruly wives in the household: Toward feminist genealogies for peace research

• Published in: Cooperation and conflict 2021-03, Vol.56 (1), p.3-25
• Main Authors: Lyytikäinen, Minna, Yadav, Punam, Wibben, Annick TR, Jauhola, Marjaana, Cecilia Confortini, Catia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canons; Feminism; feminist peace research; Genealogy; India; Krigsvetenskap; Languages; Nepal; Oral history; Peace studies; Production; Sámiland; wifesization; Wives; women
• ISSN: 0010-8367; 1460-3691; 1460-3691
• DOI: 10.1177/0010836720938397

Feminist scholars and activists have historically been written out of peace research, despite their strong presence in the early stages of the field. In this article, we develop the concept of “wifesization” to illustrate the process through which feminist and feminized interventions have been reduced to appendages of the field, their contributions appropriated for its development but unworthy of mention as independent producers of knowledge. Wifesization has trickle-down effects, not just for knowledge production, but also for peacebuilding practice. We propose new feminist genealogies for peace research that challenge and redefine the narrow boundaries of the field, in the form of a patchwork quilt including early theorists, utopian writing, oral history, and indigenous knowledge production. Reflections draw on the authors’ engagements with several archives rich in cultures and languages of peace, not reducible to a “single story.” Recovering wifesized feminist contributions to peace research, our article offers a new way of constructing peace research canons that gives weight to long-standing, powerful, and plural feminist voices, in order to make peace scholarship more inclusive and ultimately richer.