Reconceptualizing Peace: Feminist Perspectives

Abstract

Although peace is widely regarded as humanity’s most desired objective, the world continues to experience wars, armed conflicts, and various forms of structural and social violence. The realization of peace depends on inclusive definitions and frameworks that adequately reflect the experiences, needs, and aspirations of all members of society. Yet dominant peace discourses continue to exclude or marginalize women and their perspectives. This exclusion produces inaccurate, incomplete, and partial conceptualizations of peace. The omission of women from peace frameworks not only overlooks their lived experiences of conflict and violence but also impedes the realization of substantive, inclusive, and sustainable peace. The present paper is an attempt to examine how feminist scholars theorize peace and how they criticize the dominant state-centric perspectives that have historically marginalized women’s experiences and contributions to peacebuilding. While discussing the feminist ideas of peace, the study also highlights the significance of women’s agency, participation, and everyday experiences in rethinking conventional understandings of peace. It further suggests that gender-inclusive frameworks are foundational for effective, equitable, and sustainable peacebuilding and for addressing the broader social structures that perpetuate violence and inequality.