142 WAR IS UNHEALTHY FOR WOMEN AND OTHER LIVING BEINGS

WAR IS UNHEALTHY FOR WOMEN AND OTHER LIVING BEINGS
MTSU Professor Examines Women as Warriors, Victims, Home Front Helpmates

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Divya Saksena, associate professor of English at MTSU, will present “Women and War—Active and Passive Engagements,” the latest lecture in the Fall 2007 Women’s Studies Research Series, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“This presentation aims to introduce its audience to the historical, literary and cultural parameters within which women’s participation in armed conflicts has been marginalized and women themselves reduced to gendered ciphers and statistics,” Saksena says.
Saksena will examine why and how women were excluded from combat, how World War I provided new opportunities for women, and why the role of women was so critical by World War II.
“Although women now operate in an increasingly wide range of military ranks, including jet fighter pilots in the (British) Royal Navy, RAF (Royal Air Force) and U.S. Air Force, and transport pilots in the Indian Air Force, they still struggle to overcome gender biases, prejudices and stereotypes,” Saksena says.
However, Saksena notes, the majority of victims in modern warfare are women, according to reports by the United Nations and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent.
“Therefore, the presentation will conclude by considering women not only as combatants, but also a refugees, civil detainees and military POWs,” Saksena says. “It will create an understanding of the specific needs of women in armed conflicts. It will also make its audience aware of the need for policymakers and activists to translate into practical terms guidance documents for ensuring that humanitarian programs and services adequately address the circumstances and contributions of women in war and its aftermath.”
For more information on the Women’s Studies Research Series, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.



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