Still I Rise: The Study Sessions. Evil, Mad or Manipulated?

The Study Sessions are a series of informal reading and discussion groups. Join discussions and read about transnational feminism, gender representation in the media, transgressing stereotypes, queer theory and more. See other sessions on this series here>>


Evil, Mad or Manipulated? Representations of Female Perpetrators of Political Violence in Contemporary Discourses.
By Katerina Krulisova

This discussion aims to challenge the essentialist representations of violent women through history. Drawing on a number of contemporary case studies, ranging from WWII to Abu Ghraib, we will analyse the questions of female agency, rationality, gender stereotypes and counter-narratives.

‘A woman has done that?!’ This question is often asked, with an unmasked surprise and disgust, when violence perpetrated by women becomes the topic of news reporting or conversation. In popular and media narratives, these women are often portrayed as mentally ill, sexually deprived and/or driven into violence by men. We will critique the inherent sexism that accompanies narratives that depict the transgressions of ‘good’ femininity. This reveals much more than the dominant discourses that accompany political violence, it uncovers how we can make sense of ourselves and others in contemporary political, societal and cultural environments.

Recommended Reading:
Smeulers, A., 2015. Female Perpetrators: Ordinary or Extra-ordinary Women? International Criminal Law Review, 15(2), pp. 207–253.

Additional Reading:
Berrington, E. and Honkatukia, P., 2002. An evil monster and a poor thing: Female violence in the media. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, 3(1), pp. 50–72.

Brown, S.E., 2014. Female perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 16(3), pp. 448–469.

Brunner, C., 2005. Female suicide bombers - Male suicide bombing? Looking for Gender in reporting the suicide bombings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Global Society, 19(1), pp. 29–48.

Gentry, C.E., 2012. Thinking about Women, Violence, and Agency. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 14(1), pp. 79–82.

Morrissey, B., 2003. When women kill: Questions of agency and subjectivity. London: Routledge.


*Please note that places for these sessions are very limited, to avoid disappointment please reserve a place emailing Mercè at merce@nottinghamcontemporary.org


Free. Booking essential
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Katerina Krulisova is a lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Nottingham Trent University. In both her research and teaching, Katerina focuses on topics of gender and security. Her PhD studied the representations of female perpetrators of genocide and sexualised violence in Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia. Currently, she focuses on studying female lone wolf terrorists. She is also interested in the gendered aspects of humanitarian interventionism, particularly in relation to the cases of Libya and Mali. Katerina also advises the Czech government on the policies related to the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda.