Post-conflict women's movements in turmoil: the challenges of success in Liberia in the 2005-aftermath

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Periodical article

Title:	Post-conflict women's movements in turmoil: the challenges of success in Liberia in the 2005-aftermath
Authors:	Debusscher, Petra Martin de Almagro, Maria
Year:	2016
Periodical:	Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:	54
Issue:	2
Pages:	293-316
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Liberia
Subjects:	women's organizations international relations peacebuilding
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X16000173
Abstract:	In Liberia, women's advocacy has been crucial in bringing peace after 14 years of conflict as well as in electing Africa's first female president. While the accomplishments of the women's movement have been widely praised, some authors have suggested that the once vibrant movement is crumbling. In this article we claim that one of the most important challenges for the Liberian women's movement comes precisely from its internationally proclaimed success, provoking four related outcomes: First, different women's organisations compete for the credit of the success story; second, the national government has tried to appropriate the movement and integrate it into governmental structures; third, the relationship between the movement and its international partners has evolved towards mutual disappointment due to a lack of sustainable funding and unmet expectations; and fourth, the movement seems stuck in the peacemaker label and unable to redefine itself to engage in new battles as international aid diminishes. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]