To Live in Peace: Women Ex-combatants in Burundi and Northern Uganda Envision Psychosocial Well-being

Contemporary studies show that women play multiple roles in armed conflict. Only rarely are they passive bystanders or victims. Women are often part of the events that lead to armed conflict, and they may engage in combat. They have also led peace movements that have ended conflict. Nevertheless, the multiple roles that women play in war and peace are oftentimes not recognized, and their experiences, beyond victimhood, have been disregarded in post-conflict reconstruction. Drawing upon research with conflict-affected women, this paper focuses on how women ex-combatants in Burundi and Northern Uganda conceptualize and operationalize psychosocial well-being and articulate the specific contributions they can make to the peacetime community.