(En)Gendering the War on Terror War Stories and Camouflaged Politics

The war on terror has been raging for many years now, and subsequently there is a growing body of literature examining the development, motivation and effects of this US-led aggression. Virtually absent from these accounts is an examination of the central role that gender, race, class and sexuality play in the war on terror. This lack of attention reflects a continued resistance by analysts to acknowledge and engage identity-related social issues as central elements within global politics. As this conflict spreads and deepens, it is more important than ever to examine how diverse international actors are using the war on terror as an opportunity to reinforce existing gendered, raced, classed and sexualized inter/national relations. This book examines the official war stories being told to the international community about why and against whom the war on terror is being waged. The book will benefit students, scholars and practitioners in the areas of international relations, women's studies and cultural studies.

Contents: Foreword, Cynthia Enloe; Series Editors' Preface, Pauline Gardiner Barber, Jane Parapart and Marianne Marchand; (En)gendered war stories and camouflaged politics, Krista Hunt and Kim Rygiel. Part I A War for/on Women's Rights: Post-9/11 Rescue Narratives: Between orientalism and fundamentalism: Muslim women and feminist engagement, Jasmin Zine; 'Embedded Feminism' and the war on terror, Krista Hunt; Benevolent invaders, heroic victims and depraved villains: white femininity in media coverage of the invasion of Iraq, Melisa Brittain; Rescue in the age of Empire: children, masculinity, and the war on terror, Catherine V. Scott. Part II A War on/of Terror: The Politics Of Control: White nationalism, illegality and imperialism: border controls as ideology, Nandita Sharma; Protecting and proving identity: the biopolitics of waging war through citizenship in the post-9/11 era, Kim Rygiel; The headscarf debate: Muslim women in Europe and the 'War on Terror', Jane Freedman; Is 'W' for women?, Zillah Eisenstein; Bibliography; Index.

Krista Hunt is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, Canada. Kim Rygiel is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Political Science at York University, Canada.