Jennifer Greenburg, a political geographer and lecturer at the University of Sheffield, discusses her book, which examines the intersection of military humanitarianism and feminist discourse post-9/11. She reveals how U.S. military strategies transformed to incorporate women in combat roles, raising questions about imperial feminism. Greenburg critiques the romanticized narratives around women's rights in warfare and highlights the conflicting dynamics between gender, military training, and humanitarian efforts, emphasizing the need to reconsider traditional feminist perspectives.
46:05
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Development as Anti-Terrorism
Jennifer Greenburg worked for American NGOs and in international grant making in the mid-2000s.
She was struck by how post-9/11 wars reframed development as anti-terrorism.
insights INSIGHT
Shift in Strategy
In 2006, the US military admitted its strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan were not working and were fueling insurgency.
They then turned to development as a weapon to win hearts and minds, viewing NGOs as force multipliers.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Resistance to Armed Social Work
During training, soldiers resisted adapting to the "NGO with guns" approach, viewing it as a threat to their combat masculinity.
Contractors teaching development were often feminized, regardless of gender, further fueling this resistance.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Military Humanitarianism and Imperial Feminism in an Era of Permanent War
Jennifer Greenburg
Jennifer Greenburg's "At War with Women" examines the complex interplay between gender, military operations, and humanitarian efforts in the post-9/11 era. The book delves into the US military's use of development as a tool of counterinsurgency, particularly focusing on the role of all-female teams. Greenburg challenges traditional narratives surrounding women's involvement in combat and the supposed benefits of gender equality in warfare. She exposes the contradictions and complexities of 'imperial feminism' and its impact on both US power and the lives of women in conflict zones. The book offers a critical perspective on the lasting effects of colonial ideologies on contemporary military practices.
Securing Peace in Angola and Mozambique
Securing Peace in Angola and Mozambique
Miranda Melcher
At War with Women: Military Humanitarianism and Imperial Feminism in an Era of Permanent War (Cornell University Press, 2023) by Jennifer Greenburg reveals how post-9/11 politics of gender and development have transformed US military power. In the mid-2000s, the US military used development as a weapon as it revived counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military assembled all-female teams to reach households and wage war through development projects in the battle for "hearts and minds." Despite women technically being banned from ground combat units, the all-female teams were drawn into combat nonetheless. Based on ethnographic fieldwork observing military trainings, this book challenges liberal feminist narratives that justified the Afghanistan War in the name of women's rights and celebrated women's integration into combat as a victory for gender equality.
Dr. Jennifer Greenburg critically interrogates a new imperial feminism and its central role in securing US hegemony. Women's incorporation into combat through emotional labor has reinforced gender stereotypes, with counterinsurgency framing female soldiers as global ambassadors for women's rights. This book provides an analysis of US imperialism that keeps the present in tension with the past, clarifying where colonial ideologies of race, gender, and sexuality have resurfaced and how they are changing today.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
New Books in Critical Theory