“Where are the Women?”

Peacebuilding in the Frozen Conflict in Cyprus

Abstract

Following the social upheaval and a war in 1974 between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots the island nation has been separated by a United Nations buffer zone designated as the ‘Green Line’. As a result of this, there has been an ongoing peace process to bring the ‘frozen conflict’ to a close. The question this piece seeks to examine is “Where are the women” in peacebuilding. Further exploring how patriarchy is embedded in the security culture of the two communities, how the involvement of women in peace negotiations is supported by civil society peace groups and online activism and how the locational space of women has changed over time. My theoretical framework applies a feminist lens to observe why women have been excluded from public political life. Patriarchal nationalism, militarisation and a hyper-masculine culture have dominated the lives of women ensuring they remain in the private of Cypriot life. The construction of traditional gender binaries of masculine and feminine consequently has been exacerbated by the rhetoric instigated by the United Nations in the Women, Peace, and Security agenda by failing to acknowledge the essentialist notions these uphold. I conclude by stating that, though over Cyprus’s history, some progression has been made upon women's inclusion in the peace process, this has not been enough. Though aided by civil society and online social media activism, neither the state nor the United Nations has adequately guaranteed women’s inclusion in peace negotiations. To remedy this, gender consciousness must be developed.