Study of the hypothesis of the use of sexual violations as a strategy of Elisabeth Jean Wood in the case of the Korean 'comfort women'

• Grant number: 18/06459-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Salatini de Almeida
• Grantee: Ariel da Silva Parrilha
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências (FFC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Marília. Marília , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present scientific initiation project aims to centrally analyze the theory of Elisabeth Jean Wood, an important feminist theorist of international relations, who argues that rape in armed conflicts is not an inevitable phenomenon, so acts of violence can be avoided by commanders of armed groups, making leaders accountable for human rights violations in conflict, applying this theory to the specific case of Korean "comfort women", in which the Japanese imperial army sexually enslaved young people from Korea to satisfy the needs of Japanese soldiers. It is intended: (a) to investigate the hypothesis proposed by Wood in relation to the use of sexual violations as a strategy of war in armed conflicts; (b) to gather basic empirical and historical information (from secondary data) on the case of Korean "comfort women"; and (c) apply the understanding of the rape present in Wood's hypothesis of sexual rape as sexual violations as a strategy of war in armed conflicts in the case of Korean "comfort women". The growing importance of gender studies in international relations, with emphasis on the topic of rape in international conflicts, justifies the undertaking of this research project. (AU)