Women-combatants In Defense Of Sarajevo: Agents Or Victims
Women-combatants In Defense Of Sarajevo: Agents Or Victims

Summary/Abstract: Women-combatants are invisible soldiers of the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their experiences have not been taken as socially relevant as of yet. Drawing attention to the prevalent gender stereotypes about a woman-victim and a manwarrior that uphold the war-discourse in/about Bosnia, this text reveals experiences of women who fought on the frontlines of besieged Sarajevo. Research findings showed that although ARBiH military elites allowed the entry of women into the military they were not integrated into the ranks, even though their combat-agency was a voluntary act of resistance to the escalating violence. The article argues that women were not solely victims of the war and calls for more research that would reveal a whole range of women’s war-time experiences, and offer important implications for the study of war and gender.

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