By Rema Atiya/se news editor
In recognition of Women’s History Month, SE Campus will offer Beyond the Battlefield: Women and the Effects of War 2:30-3:50 p.m. March 25 in ESEE 1304.
Guest speaker Chelsea Brown, Southern Methodist University political science professor, said wars spread disease, displace populations and create a huge health care need for both long-term physical and psychological injuries.
“When it comes to women in particular, they are the ones that bear most burdens of these long-term issues and are often in a situation where they have few economic resources to manage these issues,” Brown said.
Brown regularly teaches a seminar relating to modern civil wars and conducts research on conflict and political economy.
“My presentation is derived from my research on civil conflicts,” she said.
War affects not only the emotional aspect of society but the economic as well, Brown said.
“Research overwhelmingly shows that supporting women’s economic rights and education is a key factor in generating economic development,” she said. “In a post-conflict situation, the need for economic recovery is even more acute as civil wars are more than 10 times more likely to recur in poor nations without the resources to reconstruct their economies.”
Women’s History Month shows trials and tribulations that women go and have gone through in the past, Brown said.
“I am pleased that TCC has an interest in some of the issues currently affecting the lives of millions of women around the world,” she said. “Since TCC has such a wealth of diversity in its students, I am honored to have been asked to speak.”
Brown explained her goals for the presentation.
“I hope to raise awareness of the huge number of people affected by conflicts today and generate understanding about some of the consequences of war that we forget about once the military conflict ends,” she said.
Brown is concerned that some students may not know much about issues outside of the United States.
“It’s a good discussion to bring students from different backgrounds together since so many of these issues are common across all cultures and nationalities,” she said.
Brown pointed out these issues have widespread effects.
“These are not just women’s issues,” she said.
“They affect the overall trajectory of development in a nation for every member of the population. Every person here is affected by these issues, whether they know it or not.”
