Description
This paper presents a preliminary study of how West Papuan women’s groups frame their activism to navigate the risks and restrictions of operating under Indonesian rule. In a context marked by militarisation, surveillance, and gendered marginalisation, West Papuan women have emerged as vital but overlooked peace actors. Drawing on peace and conflict studies and feminist discursive institutionalism, the paper examines how women construct discourses of peace, care and spirituality to legitimise their activism and negotiate limited political and social spaces. It argues that by framing their advocacy through culturally resonant narratives of motherhood, faith, and community resilience, women are able to advance claims for rights and justice while minimising exposure to state repression. This framing enables them to sustain local networks of support, foster social cohesion, and challenge both militarised and patriarchal structures. Conceptually, the paper introduces the concept of “gendered peace under repression” to describe the strategies through which women mobilise peace and survival within repressive institutional environments. As a preliminary inquiry, the study highlights the need for further empirical research into women’s agency, framing practices, and contributions to peacebuilding in West Papua and other protracted conflict zones.
