Women in Conflict: Survivors, Soldiers, and Peacebuilders

WIIS-Queen’s is a chapter of WIIS-Canada and WIIS-Global. We are a gender-inclusive organization that seeks to promote the advancement of women in the field of international peace and security in all of its forms. Through our mentorship program and annual conference, WIIS-Queen’s uses its extensive network to foster an inclusive community and guide others toward achieving their professional goals. We have hosted four conferences over the last several years: Canadian Women in International Security: Leading from the Front, The Phases of Conflict, The Lenses of International Peace and Security, and Fundamental Changes, all with resounding success. This year, our annual conference is focused on exploring the diverse roles that women take on during conflict, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconstruction. Primarily, we hope to consider the nuanced positions of women as combatants, peacemakers, and survivors. The conference will explore these ideas through a series of panels focused on identifying problems, analyzing specific cases, and proposing innovative solutions. These panels will be complemented by an opening keynote that functions as a challenge to the conference and a closing keynote. WIIS-Queen’s hopes that this conference will engage with a wide variety of students, academics, and professionals in discussions regarding the importance of applying a gendered analysis to all aspects of the field of international security.