The Effects of the Dominant Public Discourse and the Influence of (Non)Knowledge as a Sign of Resistance/Support to Women's Faith-Based Peace Activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Authors

Halida Đonlagić, Ph.D. candidate at the Faculty of Social Science, University of LjubljanaFollow

Abstract

This article strives to offer general insight into the subject matter of the dominant public discourse and socio-cultural construction on which it is founded and created, as well as the experience of women activists in local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina who act guided by their religious beliefs. The influence of the context on women’s peace activism is observed, with special reference to women’s faith-based peace activism. The relationship between secular and theological feminism is scrutinized as well, along with its challenges and the effects of the subordination and complementarity theories which legitimize the hierarchical patriarchal structure that obstructs the processes of positive peacebuilding in the country. The theory of complementarity, which is based mainly on dualistic binary oppositions, sometimes covertly and sometimes overtly reinforces the creation of negative gender stereotypes and the gender division of labor, while the androcentric vision is imposed as neutral. The article aims to indicate the importance of deconstructing negative gender stereotypes which dominate secular and religious public discourse. It provides the example of women feminist theologians and scholars who create new models and discover new possibilities to establish a pluralist paradigm in their fight for gender equality and to deconstruct negative gender stereotypes. The last section presents a positive example of activist practice found in a small provincial community in Bosnia and Herzegovina where women peace activists and believers are finding ways to contribute by joint action to peacebuilding in their own community and beyond. The conclusion is that the egalitarian idealized society and the holistic approach which it implies represent the ultimate path to the processes of positive peacebuilding in the country.

Recommended Citation

Đonlagić, Halida (2021) "The Effects of the Dominant Public Discourse and the Influence of (Non)Knowledge as a Sign of Resistance/Support to Women's Faith-Based Peace Activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 41 : Iss. 3 , Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol41/iss3/2