Dr. Jennifer Greenburg, a political geographer and lecturer at the University of Sheffield, dives into her book on how U.S. military strategies post-9/11 interweave gender politics with humanitarian efforts. She examines the paradox of all-female teams used in military operations, revealing how they navigate a space of empowerment and combat. Greenburg critiques liberal feminist narratives that celebrate these roles while unpacking how these dynamics reinforce gender stereotypes. Her insights highlight the complex relationship between feminism, militarism, and imperialism.
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insights INSIGHT
Development as a Weapon
The US military's post-9/11 approach to counterinsurgency and stabilization involved using development as a weapon.
This strategy aimed to win "hearts and minds" by linking the Department of Defense with development agencies.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Resistance to Armed Social Work
During pre-deployment training, male soldiers resisted the "armed social work" aspect of counterinsurgency, viewing it as a threat to their masculine identity.
Trainers used historical examples of development's role in suppressing anti-colonial insurgencies to justify this new approach.
question_answer ANECDOTE
History in Counterinsurgency Training
History was used in counterinsurgency training, often showcasing colonial figures like Chesty Puller.
The focus was on how development had been used to quell rebellions, drawing on examples from Haiti, Kenya, and Algeria.
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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.
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 Sociology