Celebrity Diplomacy: Angelina Jolie speaking up to end impunity for conflict related sexual violence

Abstract: This thesis recognizes impunity as one of the causes that contributes to the widespread occurrence of and what motivates the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. Based on a theoretical framework that recognises how gender based violence in conflict historically has been ignored and excluded, this thesis explores through a qualitative content analysis how this is being challenged by celebrity diplomacy and activism, in this case performed by Angelina Jolie. A second framework is applied that enables the study to understand how celebrities can act within humanitarian work to create awareness. The result shows a privileged person using her inherent position to change injustices with tools of affinity, empathy, sympathy and experiential authority. To increase the awareness of sexual violence used as a tactic of war and the injustices this along with ignorance and exclusion has led to. The value of this thesis is the combined understanding of how the definition of security affects measurements being taken to end gender based violence used as a tactic of war. Furthermore, how celebrity diplomacy and activism can work to create awareness and shift normalization and ignorance regarding sexual violence used as a tactic of war to inclusion.