Women, gender and jihad: (Re)constructing the gender dimension in the UN and EU counterterrorism discourses and in the insurgency and counterinsurgency practices in Mali and in Niger

Women, jihad and the Sahel:(Re)constructing gender in terrorism and counterterrorism discourses and practices in Mali and Niger Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project examines the interplay between gender, terrorism and counterterrorism and analyzes how they feed off each other. It intends to fill the gaps in the critical security studies literature by employing a feminist and post-colonial approach, thereby contributing to bridging discourses with practices and highlighting Western bias and misconceptions. First, at the level of discourse, the research unravels how the gender dimension is framed in EU and UN discourses on counterterrorism (CT) and countering violent extremism (CVE). Then, through the analysis of two empirical case studies, namely Mali and Niger, it looks at how the gender mainstreaming in CT and P/CVE is translated into practice. To do so, it first investigates women’s involvement in al-Qaeda and IS-affiliated jihadist insurgencies in these countries and assesses their roles and motivations. Taking the local context into account, it considers how traditional gender roles, norms and dynamics intertwine and influence women’s militancy. Second, it explores how the EU and UN account for gender mainstreaming in CT/CVE practices. Finally, the research investigates the impact that CT/CVE practices have on local communities, especially on women, and highlights how the existing misalignment between a Western-centric discourse on women’s empowerment and gender equality in countering violent extremism and enemy-centric counterterrorism practices in Mali and Niger reinforce inequalities and to some extent aggravate the very phenomenon they seek to counter.