Women and political violence : female combatants in ethno-national conflict / Miranda H. Alison.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [244]-267) and index.

1. Introduction -- Context and motivations -- Structure and key concerns -- Feminist research and the research for this book -- 2 Overview of armed conflict in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland -- Conflict in Sri Lanka -- Conflict in Northern Ireland -- Comparative conclusion: similarity and difference -- 3 Theorizing women-and-peace, nationalism and female combatants -- Feminism(s) and peace -- Gender, nationalism(s) and armed conflict -- 4 Enlistment of women in paramilitary organizations in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland -- Sri Lanka -- Northern Ireland -- 5 Women's experiences in the LTTE in Sri Lanka -- Gender relations and experiences in the LTTE -- 6 Women's experiences in paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland -- Gender relations and experiences in republican paramilitaries -- Gender relations and experiences in loyalist paramilitaries -- 7 Conclusions and reflections -- Assessing the research methodology -- Significant factors in enlistment of female combatants -- Gender relations within nationalist paramilitaries -- The question of feminism.