Gender (in)equality and gender politics in Southeastern Europe: A question of justice

Abstract

of the scenario of rape in war and genocide based on various scant and incidental sources would be presented and re-interpreted, as well as how the denial and silence of students on the subject matter would be handled during the teaching and learning process in the classroom. Last but not least, for the question of “when and where,” Theriault, Bartrop, Petö, Schopper, De Reus, and Slim argue that careful planning about courses and classrooms is a prerequisite for sound teaching and learning about rape in war and genocide. In particular, multiple encounters with the issue throughout a course and even taking place across the curriculum would improve the odds that students’ learning will deepen and have a profound impact. Whether teaching about rape in war and genocide is taking place in a classroom or via online learning, the provision of supportive environments for the development of partnership to sustain a productive inquiry, for shared understanding and trust, for reflection, for building knowledge, as well as for response to students’ inquiries and reactions is vital and essential. The authors of the book raise a lot of highly sensitive issues for consideration when teaching and learning about rape in war and genocide, such as the dynamics of gender, rape, war, and the classroom. These concerns are also shared by the implementation of sexuality education. Similar to teaching about rape in war and genocide, sexuality education also touches upon the core values of human rights. Both of the subject matters require the study of the corporeal, the fluidity of gender, the intersectionality of forms of oppression, domination, or discrimination, and the limits of binaries. As the authors of the book argue, teaching about rape in war and genocide is important and necessary because a critical analysis by students of this powerlessness and lack of agency and control will not only help expose factors behind violent acts, but more importantly it will highlight the complexities of gender-based violence, its origins, and potential solutions. The book is a demonstration of the success of team-work and a result of gathered wisdom of participants in the Oxford seminar on teaching about rape in war and genocide convened by Carol Rittner and John K. Roth, editors of the book, in March 2014. As the editors emphasize in the Introduction, “this book is written for all who seek to resist the ravages of rape in war and genocide” aiming to share “accumulated experiences, including tips for teaching and discussion” (p. 5), as a guide and as a classroom source on the topic.