Rojava, or Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, is an autonomous region that operates under the premises of democratic confederalism, a political theory based on direct democracy,...Show moreRojava, or Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, is an autonomous region that operates under the premises of democratic confederalism, a political theory based on direct democracy, political ecology and gender egalitarianism. This study will analyse the implementation of gender egalitarianism through the lenses of the Political Process Model, a theory of social movements that aims to situate human agency in the centre of the analysis. The Political Process Model considers three elements in order to assess the emergence and development of social movements: mobilising structures, political opportunity structure and framing. These three elements will show different strategies that women have implemented in order to ensure their liberation in political, economic, and social terms.Show less
Despite increasing literature on armed women’s participation in rebel groups, few studies have investigated the influence of female combatants on conflict dynamics. This thesis contributes to the...Show moreDespite increasing literature on armed women’s participation in rebel groups, few studies have investigated the influence of female combatants on conflict dynamics. This thesis contributes to the discussion by analyzing how the presence of female combatants influences conflict lethality. Following a mixed-methods approach and combining multiple linear regression analyses with an in-depth case study of the Somali rebel group Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (HSM), this thesis investigates how gendered expectations shape the behavior of female combatants and the threat perception of their enemies. Summarily, the results indicate a significant effect of the presence and prevalence of female combatants on the lethality of civil wars. Moreover, these findings contribute to an increased understanding of women’s participation in civil wars.Show less
