Women and the Lebanese Civil War: Female Fighters in Lebanese and Palestinian Militias

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Praise for Women and the Lebanese Civil War
Contents
Abbreviations
1 Women, War and Political Violence
	1.1 Existing Research on Female Fighters
	1.2 Research Question and Aims
	1.3 Methodological Approach
	1.4 Findings
		1.4.1 Numbers, Percentages and Roles of Women in the Militias
		1.4.2 Individual Motivations: Women’s Insistence to be Included
		1.4.3 Organisational Characteristics
		1.4.4 The Security Context
		1.4.5 Societal Factors
	1.5 Civil War(s) in Lebanon
		1.5.1 Causes of the War
		1.5.2 Key Non-State Armed Political Actors
		1.5.3 Phases of the War
			1.5.3.1 Phase 1: Spring 1975 to Summer/Autumn 1976
			1.5.3.2 Phase 2: Early 1977 to Summer 1982
			1.5.3.3 Phase 3: Summer 1982 to Spring 1985
			1.5.3.4 Phase 4: June 1985 to Autumn 1990
	1.6 Structure of the Book
	Bibliography
2 Researching Non-state Political Violence
	2.1 Understanding Involvement in Political Violence
		2.1.1 Structure or Agency
		2.1.2 Psychological Approaches and Rational Perspectives
		2.1.3 Greed or Grievances?
		2.1.4 Context-Based Theories and Process-Focused Explanations
		2.1.5 Summary
	2.2 Explaining Organisational Decision-Making
		2.2.1 Applying Organisational Theory to the Study of Non-State Armed Actors
		2.2.2 Studying Non-State Armed Groups as Rational Actors
		2.2.3 Organisations Matter
		2.2.4 A Multi-Level Approach to the Study of Organisational Decision-Making
		2.2.5 Summary
	2.3 Conducting Field Research on Non-State Political Violence
		2.3.1 A Case for Qualitative Research on Non-State Political Violence
		2.3.2 Research Context
		2.3.3 Research Methods
		2.3.4 Sampling and Access Issues
		2.3.5 Research Ethics
		2.3.6 Researcher Reflexivity
	2.4 Conclusion
	Bibliography
3 Individual Motivations
	3.1 Choice or Coercion?
	3.2 Individual Backgrounds
	3.3 Gender-Specific Motivations?
	3.4 The Influence of the Security Context and Perceived Injustice on Individual Motivations
	3.5 The Influence of Organisational Characteristics on Individual Motivations
	3.6 The Influence of Societal Aspects on Individual Motivations
	3.7 Conclusion
	Bibliography
4 Organisational Characteristics
	4.1 Ideology
	4.2 Internal Structure and Processes
	4.3 External Influence
	4.4 Age and Size
	4.5 Aims
	4.6 Conclusion
	Bibliography
5 Security Context
	5.1 Threat Perception
	5.2 Seeking Attention
	5.3 Asserting a Position
	5.4 Avoiding Detection
	5.5 Conclusion
	Bibliography
6 Societal Factors
	6.1 Facilitating Factors
		6.1.1 Societal Approval
		6.1.2 Societal Changes
		6.1.3 Female Participation in Political Parties
		6.1.4 Loosening of Gender Norms Amplified by War
	6.2 Inhibiting Factors
		6.2.1 Conservative Gender Norms and Expectations
		6.2.2 Women’s Non-Violent Roles in the Militias and Political Parties
		6.2.3 Fear of Sexual Violence
	6.3 Inter-Community and Intra-Community Variation
		6.3.1 Local Differences
		6.3.2 Religious Differences
		6.3.3 The Role of Class and Education
	6.4 Managing Societal Expectations
		6.4.1 Risk-Awareness
		6.4.2 Practical Steps
		6.4.3 Narrative Approaches
		6.4.4 Role-Models
	6.5 Conclusion
	Bibliography
7 Conclusion: Female Fighters in the Lebanese Civil War and Beyond
	7.1 Summary of Findings
		7.1.1 Individual Motivations: Women’s Insistence to be Included
		7.1.2 Organisational Characteristics
		7.1.3 The Security Context
		7.1.4 Societal Factors
	7.2 Discussion of Findings and Contribution to Existing Literature
		7.2.1 Women and the War in Lebanon
		7.2.2 Understanding Political Violence
		7.2.3 Understanding Individual Motivations
		7.2.4 Understanding Organisational Characteristics
		7.2.5 Understanding the Security Context
		7.2.6 Understanding Societal Factors
	7.3 Limitations of This Study
	7.4 Implications for Practice and Policy
	7.5 Epilogue: Post-War Perspectives
	Bibliography
Appendix
List of Major Militias, Parties and Alliances
Interview Guide: Summer 2015
Interview Guide: Winter 2015/2016
List of Interviewees
Index