New Books in Sociology

Jennifer Greenburg, "At War with Women: Military Humanitarianism and Imperial Feminism in an Era of Permanent War" (Cornell UP, 2023)

Jan 11, 2025

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.

46:05

Episode guests

Jennifer Greenburg

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Quick takeaways

Post-9/11 military strategies integrated humanitarian efforts to reshape international development as a tool for anti-terrorism and counterinsurgency.

The evolving roles of women in the military blur traditional combat boundaries, complicating gender dynamics and power structures in warfare.

Deep dives

The Impact of Post-9/11 Wars on Development

The post-9/11 wars significantly reshaped the field of international development, reframing it as a tool for anti-terrorism. This transformation led to the emergence of new governmental offices that sought to integrate military actions with humanitarian efforts. For instance, development experts were brought onto military bases to train personnel on how to approach counterinsurgency tactics through development practices. This linkage between development and military strategy highlighted a historical precedent, illustrating how colonial histories were repurposed to justify contemporary military actions.

Intro

2min

Military Humanitarianism and Feminism in Conflict Zones

3min

Investigating Military Humanitarianism: Methods and Insights

3min

Evolving Military Strategies: Counterinsurgency and Stabilization Post-2006

3min

Gender, Militarism, and Imperialism

31min

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.

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