Research Exchange workshop

Emily’s doctoral research explores the involvement of female children and youth in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Specifically, her work focuses on the political mobilisation of female youth; their involvement in political violence; and their experiences of detention and imprisonment. Based on her recent fieldwork and interviews with former youth activists, Emily will be speaking about the gendered differences between men and women’s narratives of their participation in political violence. Her research has found that female activists are much more forthcoming with their involvement in violence than their male counterparts. This does not necessarily imply that young women were more violent than men, but rather reflects how female fighters in various contexts will often overemphasise their individual contributions in conflict in order to fit societal notions of ideal combatants and be inserted into historical narratives from which they have been excluded. This discussion will speak to broader debates about gender and political violence; children’s involvement in conflict; and the use of oral history in researching violence.