ABSTRACT
This chapter explores prescriptive measures for United States democracy assistance in relation to the understanding of gendered ethnicity developed in the thesis. A smaller body of research, mentioned by R. Barot, focuses on the “special” role of women as mothers in the transfer/teaching of ethnic identity. Ethnic violence, usually sexual, is directed inward and committed against the female “self” when male community leaders “mark” and/or “protect” their boundary markers with women, themselves, as a prominent ethnic marker. The notion that women have shared experiences and interests as women, as mothers and wives is often used as a way of reducing the significance of ethnic or national identities. C. Frankel’s epilogue and D. Held’s regional parliamentary models, benefiting from gendered ethnic inclusiveness and transversal politics, represent powerful beginnings for future research and democratic assistance programming. Democracy assistance could do much to capitalize on the power of female civil society as an agent of change and ethnic conflict prevention.
