ABSTRACT
Wartime rape acknowledges a vital problem of war and insecurity. While the global focus on wartime rape now follows attention to changing patterns of pressing armed conflicts worldwide, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held up as the site of wartime sexual violence. Indeed, in 2010, it became infamous as the rape capital of the world. However, this hard-won attention to wartime sexual violence also bears with it a host of ethico-political and intellectual challenges. Feminist methodology has long encouraged careful attention to reflexivity, including to the dangers and pitfalls of navel gazing and self-centered analysis that accompany accounts of the colonial researching self. As feminist scholars situated in the loosely defined field of Peace and Development Studies, we had read, taught, and written about the connections between gender and security; gender and militarization; and women as victims/survivors/agents in conflict situations. In the course of trying to make sense of the testimonies from FARDC members the women's organizations testimonies.
