Introduction ; Gender, war and peace - breaking up the borderlines

Gender historical research today breaks up the borderlines between stereotypical notions of femininity and masculinity in relation to war and peace. It demonstrates the complexities and contradictions of the gendered divisions between home and front, civilian and military spheres, peacetime and wartime. Such perspectives on gender, war and peace vitalize Nordic history research in the twenty-first century. In this report of the 28th Congress of Nordic Historians in Joensuu, Finland, gender relations surrounding the organization of military power, warfare, and peace activism in the Nordic countries are discussed and problematized. The chapters span from the Early Modern period to the Cold War. Posing new questions to old subject matters, the authors question previously taken-for-granted understandings of the gender relations informing women’s and men’s activities in relation to war and peace.