In post-conflict environments, former rebel groups that transition into political parties are critical political actors, as their participation within formal politics is believed to be a crucial guarantee of continued peace and security after war. Yet, for many former rebel parties, the path to political success is littered with challenges in building substantial public support. This dissertation examines a salient strategy through which rebel parties build such support: the inclusion of women. I explore the role of women in rebel parties by asking three related questions: (1) How does women's political representation in rebel parties compare to other political parties? (2) How do legacies of women's wartime inclusion affect women's representation in rebel parties? (3) Which women do rebel parties elect?I begin in Chapter 1 by comparing the role of women in rebel parties to other political parties in post-conflict environments. I argue that these parties have unique incentives to promote the representation of women. By including women, rebel parties stand to distance themselves from their violent conflict legacies and demonstrate they are committed to upholding transparency, democracy, justice, and peace. Novel data on women's candidacy and electoral success at the party-level in post-conflict Africa from 1970-2020 are presented. Findings suggest that rebel parties run and elect significantly more women than other political parties. I find in instances of ongoing violence, women's political representation generally falters, suggesting that these political strategies are only effective during peacetime.Chapter 2 explores the effect of conflict legacies on women's inclusion in rebel parties. Rebel groups that transition into political parties are influenced by their conflict legacies in a myriad of ways. In particular, rebel parties adhere to practices that shaped their identity and garnered wartime support. I argue that the wartime inclusion of women in rebel groups is one such wartime behavior that will carry over to the post-war environment. Using a second novel dataset on women's representation in a global sample of rebel parties from 1970-2020, I find that former rebel parties that included female combatants are more likely to elect a higher proportion of women after war, particularly when women's presence serves to create similar benefits that women offer during war. The results show that when women's wartime combat participation cultivated greater civilian aid and external support during war, rebel parties are more likely to elect women after war.Finally, Chapter 3 considers the role of former rebel women in their respective rebel parties. I ask how former rebel parties create post-conflict political opportunities for their female former members. I argue that the party's integration of these women depends on women's general contributions during war, particularly their roles in the group and its impact on group success. I present a third novel dataset on the election of former female rebels in a global sample of former rebel parties from 1970-2020 and find that women's roles during conflict influence their post-conflict election. Moreover, their integration also influences greater recruitment of other non-rebel women. These findings demonstrate that while many former rebel women are marginalized after war, a select few are successful in translating their wartime experiences into political gains.Overall, this dissertation demonstrates the salient role of women in rebel parties, a role that has been consistently overlooked in the literature. Moreover, these findings suggest that the inclusion of women is a political strategy used by rebel parties, casting doubt on these parties' actual commitment to women and peace.

Why Women Rebel presents a global analysis of the extent to which women are engaged in armed, organized rebellions, and why they choose to join such rebellions. Henshaw has collected and analyzed data on women’s participation in over 70 post-Cold War rebel groups. The book provides a theoretical analysis drawing upon both mainstream literature in the social sciences and critical, feminist inquiry on women and political violence to offer a new gendered theory on why women rebel. The book reveals that women are active in over half of all rebel groups sampled and that, while the majority of rebel groups have women serving in support roles away from direct combat, approximately a third of these groups employ women in the conduct of armed attacks, and just over a quarter have women in a leadership capacity. Henshaw reaffirms the idea that women are more likely to be engaged in left-wing political organizations, but does suggest that more conservative or traditional movements may also successfully incorporate women by appealing to concerns about community rights. Addressing several gaps in the current literature on this topic, this book will be of interest to academics in the fields of political science, international relations, security studies, and gender and women’s studies.

This is the first book to examine and compare how rebels govern civilians during civil wars in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Drawing from a variety of disciplinary traditions, including political science, sociology, and anthropology, the book provides in-depth case studies of specific conflicts as well as comparative studies of multiple conflicts. Among other themes, the book examines why and how some rebels establish both structures and practices of rule, the role of ideology, cultural, and material factors affecting rebel governance strategies, the impact of governance on the rebel/civilian relationship, civilian responses to rebel rule, the comparison between modes of state and non-state governance to rebel attempts to establish political order, the political economy of rebel governance, and the decline and demise of rebel governance attempts.

THROUGH THE EYES OF REBEL WOMEN: The Young Lords, 1969-1976 is the first account of women members. They fought the "revolution within the revolution" believing that women's equality was inseparable from society's progress as a whole. Written and edited by Iris Morales, the book includes essays, interviews, and primary documents.

What does it mean to be in love while at war? This Element demonstrates that whether rebel groups commit themselves to marriage, bar it entirely, or reinterpret the ceremonies and practices associated with marriage, their decision has important implications for both the rebel organization and individual members. This Element contributes to the literature on gender and politics by demonstrating that rebel marriages are an under-appreciated driver of gendered conflict and post-conflict dynamics. This Element introduces frameworks for understanding how rebel groups approach the issue of marriage, suggesting that variation between and within rebel groups over time is related to not only the rebels' political project, but also the anticipated effect of marriage on cohesion and retention, and the rebels' logistical concerns. Furthermore, the Element unpacks how wartime rebel marriages can complicate or improve women's prospects for post-conflict reintegration by shaping whether rebel wives are depoliticized, distrusted, or reclaimed.

With the rise of women's suffrage, challenges to marriage and divorce laws, and expanding opportunities for education and employment for women, the early years of the twentieth century were a time of social revolution. Examining British novels written in 1890-1914, Jane Eldridge Miller demonstrates how these social, legal, and economic changes rendered the traditional narratives of romantic desire and marital closure inadequate, forcing Edwardian novelists to counter the limitations and ideological implications of those narratives with innovative strategies. The original and provocative novels that resulted depict the experiences of modern women with unprecedented variety, specificity, and frankness. Rebel Women is a major re-evaluation of Edwardian fiction and a significant contribution to literary history and criticism. "Miller's is the best account we have, not only of Edwardian women novelists, but of early 20th-century women novelists; the measure of her achievement is that the distinction no longer seems workable." —David Trotter, The London Review of Books

A 2021 NATIONAL PARENTING PRODUCT AWARDS WINNER! The third installment in the New York Times bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, featuring 100 immigrant women who have shaped, and will continue to shape, our world. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World is packed with 100 all-new bedtime stories about the lives of incredible female figures from the past and the present such as: Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief Carmen Miranda, Singer and Actress Diane von Fürstenberg, Fashion Designer Gloria Estefan, Singer Ilhan Omar, Politician Josephine Baker, Entertainer and Activist Lupita Nyong'o, Actress Madeleine Albright, Politician Rihanna, Entrepreneur and Singer Samantha Power, Diplomat This volume recognizes women who left their birth countries for a multitude of reasons: some for new opportunities, some out of necessity. Readers will whip up a plate with Asma Khan, strategize global affairs alongside Madeleine Albright, venture into business with Rihanna, and many more. All of these unique, yet relatable stories are accompanied by gorgeous, full-page, full-color portraits, illustrated by 70 female and nonbinary artists from 29 countries across the globe.