The Irish defence forces and the silencing of a feminist researcher

Abstract

ABSTRACT As a feminist researcher undertaking my PhD field research from 2006 to 2009 with officers in the Irish Defence Forces, I experienced the gender discrimination I was endeavouring to make visible. My PhD study, borne out of UNSCR 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, was testing claims by the United Nations that the inclusion of women peacekeepers brings important benefits to civilian women populations in mission contexts. The study adopted discourse analysis and included equal numbers of interviews with women and men peacekeepers and observation of Irish troops during the UNMIK/KFOR mission in Kosovo. At each stage of my research journey into the Irish Defence Forces I encountered barriers to continuing my study which had negative impacts on me personally and professionally. The culmination of which was them attempting to publicly discredit my research findings. This paper explores the process by which institutions attempt to silence feminist researchers and what we can learn about gender, knowledge and power from these affective experiences and how collective storytelling is key to breaking the silence.