Intersecting Identities: Social Mobilisations and Transformations of Values

This paper explores the intersection of values in the collective identity narratives of fifty-seven female activists during episodes of ethno-national mobilisation in Chiapas and Northern Ireland. In a comparative fashion, it looks at the way in which female activists’ values and identity change during periods of contention and in conflict settlement processes. It asks how those changes occurring during conflict are translated into peace processes. Many ethno-national conflicts have included women’s voices (Kampwirth 2004) leading to changes in traditional gender roles, values and perceptions (Hoewer 2013). However, this paper highlights how those spaces for change can decrease depending on the way in which the resistance movement reengages with the state in conflict settlement processes. The paper brings to light the complexity of changes occurring during ethno-national conflict in a multi-level analysis of women’s perceptions of and positioning towards the state, the community as well as their family and intimate partners