Description
This article examines the discourse of protection in UN peacekeeping through a feminist IR lens, interrogating how peacekeeper identity is reshaped when peacekeepers themselves are under protection. While existing literature has extensively analysed the discourse and practice of Protection of Civilians (POC), the gendered and affective dimensions of protection directed toward peacekeepers remain understudied. Drawing on Chinese official media and in-depth life stories from Chinese peacekeepers, this study aims to explore how “reverse protection” discourse (re)produces the subjectivities of peacekeepers. Using China — the state most vocal about improving peacekeeper safety — as a case, the research examines the gap between official framings and lived experiences from individual peacekeepers. The analysis focuses on three contexts where peacekeepers negotiate tensions between being safe and being unsafe: (1) witnessing death and casualties, (2) the dangerous-but-safe narratives; (3) gendered protection discourses towards female peacekeepers. Across these contexts, Chinese peacekeepers articulate contradictory positions between victimhood and agency, between being subjects and objects of protection. This dual positioning challenges their fragile “protector” identity, further complicated by the intersection of domestic gendered expectations, Chinese strategic interests, and UN internationalism discourse. By capturing both institutional and individual responses to peacekeeper safety, this article contributes to scholarly literature on micro-level experiences of peacekeepers and norms contestation around protection, not only in peacekeeping, but also in broader international peacebuilding and security governance. Given declining Troop Contributing Country (TCC) willingness to participate in peacekeeping missions, this study also offers insights for rethinking the structure and reform of contemporary peace operations.
