By
Niall Gilmartin
NUI Maynooth
The Feminist Debate
Nationalism: An Institution of Patriarchy?
 Nationalism is male-led institution built upon patriarchy
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and sexism. (Enloe1990 & Nagle 2005)
Women play a symbolic role in Nationalist Ideology. The
nation’s ‘Sons’ fighting to protect the ‘Motherland’.
Women become biological reproducers of the nation;
Cultural transmitters
Women’s empowerment through nationalist movements is
temporary; in post-conflict, patriarchy and ‘gender norms’
quickly reassert themselves.
Nationalist cause always takes precedence over gender
equality.
Nationalism: A Feminist tool for Gender
Equality
 Conflict and Nationalism allows women to come out into
the male-led public sphere
 Nationalism creates spaces where women can further the
aims and objectives of the feminist agenda.
 Feminist agenda can be successfully pursued alongside the
nationalist agenda.
 Current literature from Palestine, North of Ireland, South
Africa all concur that women are empowered political
agents due to their involvement in nationalist struggles (Al
Labadi 2003, Aretxaga 1997, O’Keefe 2003 Sharoni 2010)
Main Argument
 Current feminist debate is whether or not women’s
empowerment during conflict is temporary or not.
 I argue that nationalist movements can empower women
and further the aims of feminism.
 Crucially, in the context of the feminist debate, I argue
that the equalities and powers won by women during
conflict, can be carried over into post-conflict societies.
Methodology & Sample
 Using the North of Ireland as a case study, I interviewed a
sample of eight republican women.
 Primary data based on semi-structured interviews.
 All interviewees were active republicans during the
conflict.
 All are currently politically active in both formal and
informal politics.
 Snowball sampling technique.
Research Questions
 Where are republican women today?
 Are they still politically active?
 Have their roles changed, strengthened or diminished as
the North of Ireland continues towards a post-conflict
society?
 If so, why and in what ways?
 Crucially, is there evidence of a post-conflict regression in
women’s empowerment?
Republican Women during the ‘Troubles’
 Conflict fragments
‘traditional’ gender roles.
 Women felt they played an
equal and central role in
the Republican Movement
 Civil Rights, Falls Rd.
Curfew, Internment,
Armagh Gaol, Street
Protests, IRA Volunteers,
Cumann na mBan, Sinn
Féin
Findings & Analysis
 All interviewees are politically active today
 Full time activists across formal and informal politics
 Sinn Féin, Community Groups, Women’s Groups,
Conflict Victims Groups.
 All assert that they are empowered activists due to their
involvement in the conflict.
 Their current role is a direct continuation of that same
struggle for political equality and social justice.
Findings & Analysis
 During conflict, all were members of a homogenous
movement; IRA and Sinn Féin.
 Now branched into other spheres of informal politics.
 Community Groups, Drug rehabilitation, Social Justice,
Domestic Violence, Women’s Reproductive Rights.
 While ‘national cause’ initially politicised women, they
now branched off into other areas
 Why? Why not continue with Sinn Féin?
Findings & Analysis
 2007 IRA formally ends campaign
 Republicans fully embrace constitutional, electoral politics.
 Rigid, formal & male-dominated structures.
 Republican Movement’s new strategy also means new barriers
for republican women
 Formal versus Informal Politics: State and party politics rigid
and slow to affect change; out of touch with the people; maleled culture; child-care issues, working hours.
 Informal politics is new, radical, affects change quicker,
empowering, dynamic.
Findings & Analysis
 Formal Politics presents new
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challenges to republican
women.
Slow
Outdated
Patriarchal
Ineffective
“A relic of the past that needs
to be dismantled if women are
to achieve fully political
equality”
Republicans went from
challenging the state to
becoming the state.
Conclusion
•Republican Women
are full time political
activists today.
•Nationalism acted as
political
‘springboard’ to
empower women to
challenge other
inequalities.
•Formal, rigid politics
caused some postconflict regression,
not nationalism.
Conclusion
•Nationalism-power,
citizenship, democracy,
equality.
•Women need to be at the
centre of such movements.
•Nationalism can augment
and further the aims of the
feminist agenda-both causes
working alongside each
other.
•Women can use nationalism
to confront and challenge
patriarchy both within
nationalism itself and in
wider society.
•The republican women in
this research have
successfully demonstrated
the benefits that such a
challenge yields.