PSCI 3601 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Standpoint Feminism, Liberal Feminism, Peace Movement
10 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Feminism
Lecture 7
Invisibility of women in international relations and IR
Feminism in IR is about:
(a) women (e.g. effects of war on women)
(b) gender (e.g. reliance of warfare on gendered theories and practices)
• gender = social construction of masculinity and femininity
(as relational and hierarchical)
Two critiques of representation:
(a) (under)representation of women in (official) pol. positions
(b) gendered (mis)representation of international politics
Background:
• Tradition of political practice (19th cent. abolitionism, suffragism; 20th cent. peace
movement)
• …. rather than philosophical tradition, but …
• Different feminisms: liberal, constructivist, Critical, postmodern, postcolonial
Women as actors and the feminist critique
Marginalization of women
(a) on “summits of power” (some exceptions); women in NGOs, social movements
(b) in accounts of international politics (mainstream IR theory; conventional history, mass
media)
→ Make women/gender visible
(e.g. women’s “backstage” roles in the “private” sphere: diplomatic wives; militaries and
sexual services, cf. Enloe)
• Dilemma: women as “victims” vs. agency of women
• Feminist critique: mainstream conceptions of actors (states,
individuals) are gendered
• (e.g. rationality vs. emotions, autonomy vs. attachment)
Human nature: Equal, Males/Female, socially constructed
• Gendered assumptions about human nature in mainstream theories → alternatives:
• Liberal feminism: equality → international politics the same irrespective of men or
women as decision-makers
• Standpoint feminism: different biology (nature) and/or different socialization (nurture) →
different practices if women are decision-makers; different knowledge
• Critical/constructivist/postmodern/postcolonial feminism: no claims about “female”
difference; focus on effects of gendered constructs; “intersectionality” of gender with
other identities and structures of power/exclusion (e.g. class, race)
International politics: Men’s world
• Anarchy/state of nature is a gendered construct
• Gender hierarchy/Patriarchy as the “structure” of international politics?
• Gendered hierarchy of issues: high politics (masculine) vs. low politics (feminine)
• Critique and reconceptualization of mainstream concepts (e.g. power, security)
International politics: A men’s world (international politics: differential effects on women
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Document Summary
Invisibility of women in international relations and ir. Feminism in ir is about: (a) women (e. g. effects of war on women) (b) gender (e. g. reliance of warfare on gendered theories and practices) gender = social construction of masculinity and femininity (as relational and hierarchical) Two critiques of representation: (a) (under)representation of women in (official) pol. positions (b) gendered (mis)representation of international politics. Background: tradition of political practice (19th cent. abolitionism, suffragism; 20th cent. peace movement) rather than philosophical tradition, but , different feminisms: liberal, constructivist, critical, postmodern, postcolonial. Marginalization of women (a) on summits of power (some exceptions); women in ngos, social movements (b) in accounts of international politics (mainstream ir theory; conventional history, mass media) Enloe) (e. g. women"s backstage roles in the private sphere: diplomatic wives; militaries and: dilemma: women as victims vs. agency of women, feminist critique: mainstream conceptions of actors (states, (e. g. rationality vs. emotions, autonomy vs. attachment) individuals) are gendered.
