Boys and Girls in Post-Conflict Societies

Long after formal peace treaties have been signed, war continues to shape social institutions and interactions. Young people who have grown up amid violent conflict often experience its lingering effects through the loss of family, estrangement from local communities, destruction of the physical environment, or the instability of the government. This panel takes an interdisciplinary look at young people’s lives following conflict in various places and time periods. It will show how, in spite of the tremendous constraints placed on them, young people are social actors who have their own parts to play in social reconstruction. Furthermore, it insists on treating young people not as a homogeneous group, but as individuals whose lives are constructed through relations of social difference and inequality. Taking gender to be a critical dimension of difference, panelists will reflect on the challenges facing girls and boys in post-conflict situations, as well as their active negotiation of culturally, historically, and age-specific masculinities and femininities.

Panelists include Jessaca Leinaweaver, assistant professor of anthropology at Brown University; Megan Callaghan, visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Bard College; and Nara Milanich, assistant professor of history at Barnard College. Abosede George, assistant professor of history at Barnard College, will moderate.