Jane L Parpart is Professor Emeritus and former Lester Pearson Chair in International Development at Dalhousie University. She is currently Visiting Professor in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance.

This collection explores the power of silence in a world where voice is too often privileged as the ultimate sign of power. Inspired by the complex and growing literature on silence, from a number of disciplines, Beyond the Binary challenges the assumption that silence is always a sign/symptom of disempowerment, and explores the many ways that silence can be empowering in a complex neo-liberal world. The book aims to contribute to on-going debates about silence, voice, gender and agency in insecure sites, with chapters situated in many parts of the world. Parpart will present the larger debate on silence, gender and agency in insecure sites, and draw on Susan Thomson’s chapter on the Rwandan case to discuss the
possibilities this perspective brings to reconsidering the role of silence, gender and agency in insecure sites in Africa and elsewhere.
This is part of the African Studies Brownbag Seminar Series