filia.die frauenstiftung

cultural scientist, trainer for conflict transformation

The Responsibility of ‘Mothers’. Gendered Discourses of Women`s Peace Organisations in the North Caucasus/Russia *

This article discusses the significance of gender in violent conflicts and uses the discourses of women’s peace organisations in the North Caucasus as an example. Since the Soviet Union dissolved, the region[1] has been marked by violent conflicts. The region has been profoundly unsettled by the Chechen War, which has been raging since the mid 1990s. Discourses on ‘motherhood’ and the ‘responsibility of mothers’ constitute an important basis for women’s peace work in these militarised conflicts. They enable peace activists from various contexts to organise at local and supra-regional levels and to develop common political claims and activities despite profound political cleavages. Women form networks in which activists from disparate sides of the conflict collaborate.

* „The Responsibility of ‚Mothers’. Gendered Discourses of Women’s Peace Organisations in the North-Caucasus/ Russia” in: Eifler, Christine/ Seifert, Ruth (ed.): Gender Dynamics and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. Peter Lang Verlag. Frankfurt a. M. 2009.

[1] The republics of Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia-Alania, Karbadino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea as well as the regions of Rostov, Krasnodar and Stavropol belong to the North Caucasus. All of these republics and regions belong to the Russian Federation. In administrative terms they are subjectsmembers of the Russian Federation. The regions of Rostov, Krasnodar und Stavropol are areas with a majority Russian population. People of different non-Russian ethnicities live together in the republics. The region is marked by a great ethnic diversity. See for example, Proskurjakov 2006 on the situation in the North Caucasus.

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For some people diversity is a question of survival.
Excerpts from an essay by Claudia Bollwinkel

“We feel particularly obliged towards women who are discriminated not only because of their gender, but also because of the colour of their skin, their origin or their sexual orientation.”
From the Certificate of the Foundation
...
Feminist foundations are alliances between those with money and those who need money. A connection is established between different parties who enter into an exchange which ideally is open on both sides. filia as a community foundation manages the transition from personal affluence and money power to joint and responsible use of this power. New endowment contributors are joining us continuously. In this way the capital has increased from 250,000 Euro in 2001 to 15.677 million Euro at the end of 2008. The capital is invested in accordance with the foundation’s objectives on the basis of social, sustainable and ecological criteria. The Foundation Council is a “diverse” body with women from different professions, of different origins and with different opinions. Diversity is a significant value internally within the foundation as well.

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Private capital activates money for the interest of girls and women
based on a speech given on 22.11.2007 on the occasion of the 1st filia Project Party

„It is simply not possible to neutralise private capital!“ – I was faced with this statement recently during a discussion on effective donations and subsidies. It was intended to say: The responsibility that comes with money should be taken personally, it cannot be “passed on”. Anyone who has money to distribute should take it into his or her own hands. Everything else simply “does not work”.
Is that true? filia.die frauenstiftung thinks quite differently. Or perhaps not; as we comprehend the question differently. It is true that as a public foundation we are not really a democratic institution, but we create the transition from personal monetary power to a mutual, responsible utilisation of this power.
Many people with money are motivated to pass some of it on to others; as a matter of course because they have experienced need or poverty personally, or in order to give something back, or for religious reasons. But to whom should they give that “excess”? Too many stagnate at this stage, with a vague “I should really….” or an urging “You should have ….. a long time ago“. But how should I go about it? If I don’t play a personal part in something, I can’t trust it. And I do not have sufficient time and energy to spend on this.

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What are the Millennium Development Goals?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000.
The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators

• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development