Imprint and identifiers:
Routledge (2026)
Series: Routledge Studies in Gender and Global Politics
Suggested citation: Leclerc, K., Singh, N., & Graham, S. (Eds.). (forthcoming, 2026). Women, Peace and Security in Canada and the United States: A Fragmented Peace. Routledge.
Women, Peace and Security in Canada and the United States: A Fragmented Peace
Edited by Katrina Leclerc, Nisha Singh, and Shirley Graham
A Fragmented Peace brings together scholars and practitioners from the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada (WPSN-C) and the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (CSWG WPS) to examine how the WPS agenda is contested and reshaped in polarized North American contexts. Through cross-border, interdisciplinary perspectives, it highlights the tensions between State frameworks, civil society action, and evolving security challenges.
About the book
In an era marked by deepening political polarisation, democratic strain, and shifting security priorities, A Fragmented Peace offers a timely and critical examination of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Canada and the United States. Emerging from a cross-border collaboration between members of the Women, Peace and Security Network-Canada (WPSN-C) and the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (CSWG WPS), the volume brings together leading scholars, policymakers, and civil society actors to explore how WPS is being implemented, challenged, and reimagined across diverse contexts—from defence institutions and legislative frameworks to grassroots activism and transnational partnerships. It interrogates the limits of State-centric and multilateral approaches while foregrounding the central role of civil society in sustaining and advancing the agenda. Spanning themes such as militarisation, digital threats, settler colonial legacies, youth leadership, masculinities, LGBTQI+ inclusion, and climate security, the book provides a nuanced and intersectional analysis of WPS in North America. Grounded in both empirical case studies and critical reflection, it not only diagnoses the fractures shaping contemporary WPS efforts but also identifies pathways for more inclusive, accountable, and contextually rooted feminist peacebuilding.
About the editors
Katrina Leclerc: Saint-Paul University / University of Winnipeg. Scholar-practitioner working at the intersections of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS).
Nisha Singh: Women for Women International. Practitioner and policy specialist working on women-led advocacy, participatory research, and movement-building to advance inclusive peace and security processes.
Shirley Graham: George Washington University. Director of the Global Gender Policy Program; researcher and practitioner focusing on gender, militaries, and human security within the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Contents
Preamble, Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini
Across a Shared Border: Feminist Solidarity and the State of WPS in Canada and the United States, Katrina Leclerc, Shirley Graham and Nisha Singh
Section 1: Navigating Political Fragmentation
Reassessing WPS Amid Hyper-Polarisation, Militarisation, and Contemporary Security Challenges
Chapter 2: Civil Society Under Pressure: Women, Peace and Security Implementation in Polarised Democracies, Kallie Mitchell and Kathleen Kuehnast
Chapter 3: The WPS Agenda Beyond the UN: Reforming the Multilateral and Local Hierarchy, Nisha Singh and Sarah Keeler
Chapter 4: Between policy and polarisation: The WPS-defence nexus through the lens of Canadian Armed Forces culture change, Sandra Biskupski-Mujanovic
Chapter 5: Women, Peace and Security and 21st Century Security Challenges, Julie B. Leftwich
Section 2: Contextualising WPS Implementation
Regional and Country-Specific Perspectives on Progress and Challenges
Chapter 6: Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Canada and the WPS Agenda, Beth Woroniuk and Katrina Leclerc
Chapter 7: WPS in the US: Legislating Peace Amidst Polarisation – The Pitfalls and Possibilities, Megan Corrado
Chapter 8: WPS Implementation in Afghanistan: Lessons Learned and Call to Action, Tanya Henderson
Chapter 9: Local Power, Global Support: Rethinking WPS Partnerships in the Asia-Pacific, Alan Okros, Crystal Pryor and Shanti Shoji
Section 3: Broadening the WPS Framework
Emerging Themes, Intersecting Agendas, and Inclusive Pathways
Chapter 10: Gender Essentialism in WPS: The Political Erasure of Trans Women in North American Security Discourse, Katrina Leclerc, Alexandria Bohémier and Sophia Farion
Chapter 11: Men and Masculinities in WPS: Gender Trauma as a Driver of Violence, Shirley Graham and Laxman Belbase
Chapter 12: Youth as Catalysts for De-polarisation: Leveraging the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda in North America, Katrina Leclerc and Shayne Wong
Chapter 13: Beyond Vulnerability: Gender, Climate Change, and National Security, Maryruth Belsey Priebe
Endorsements
“At a moment when decades of hard-won feminist policy gains are being tested by polarisation and political retreat, this volume does more than document friction – it offers a vital map for navigating it. By foregrounding the indispensable role of civil society, confronting policy neglect, and engaging emerging challenges such as Youth, Peace and Security and disruptive technologies, the contributors ensure that “security” remains grounded in human dignity rather than military lethality. Even in a fragmented peace, this book stands as a testament to the hard work of repair and the collective responsibility to build an inclusive global security architecture.” —Kat Fotovat, Co-Founder, Peace Pays and (ret) Acting Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State
“Comparing the WPS civil society movements in Canada and the US reveals the importance of our looking outside the UN to understand what can happen when the determined pursuit of genuine security and sustainable peace is investigated with feminist curiosity about diverse women's ideas and experiences. Leclerc and Singh and Graham have made me think afresh.” —Cynthia Enloe, author of Twelve Feminist Lessons of War & Research Professor, Clark University
"Both Canada and the US have played vital roles in sustaining the Women, Peace and Security agenda globally. This volume explores what is happening to this WPS leadership at a time of profound political and economic upheaval, as well as tension between these two close allies. The analysis shows that the fundamental driver of progress in meeting the ambitions of the WPS agenda is feminist civil society working with and beyond state institutions. This is timely and essential reading, authoritatively written by key activists and policymakers." —Anne Marie Goetz, Clinical Professor, Center for Global Affairs, New York University & former Policy Director of Governance, Peace and Security, UN Women
“This comprehensive collection brings together scholarly analysis and practitioner reflections on the Women, Peace and Security agenda across multiple countries, sectors, and themes. What I appreciated most from reading this book was the rich insight into challenges arising from contemporary polarisations and the significance of gender-inclusive strategies.” —Rebecca Tiessen, Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa & Co-Director of the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security