FEMINISM 14 JUNE 2010

What is the Theory of Feminism? Introduced gender as a relevant empirical category and analytical tool for understanding global power relations as well as a normative position from which to consider alternative world orders.

Example of Influential Feminism Approach Cynthia Enloe: Where are the women? (1988) : women often there, even where we might not expect them. Bananas, Beaches, and Bases (1989), exposed how international politics frequently involves intimate relationships, personal identities and private lives.

Strategic Claim Women experiences are systematically different from men’s. All social relations are gendered.

Variant Politics of feminism Liberal feminism : seeking an end to women exclusion from under representation in office, power and employment Radical feminism: see women’s subordination as universal, sex class. Cultural feminism: see women more nurturing and peaceable. Socialist feminism: Put together class and gender.

Variant Politics of feminism Socialist feminism: Put together class and gender. Third World feminists: accused white feminist of ignoring race, culture, and colonial relation as affecting women, too. Post-modern feminists.: who speaks for women?

The development of Feminism in IR Theory Flourished since mid 1980’s. Until the 1980’s IR studies the causes of war and conflict and global expansion of trade and commerce with no particular reference to people. Gender relations were rarely a necessary part of the analysis. In the Third debate (post positivist).

The development (Cont) First generation of Feminism in IR late 1980’s: Contested the exclusionary, state-center and positivist nature of the discipline primarily at a meta-theoretical level. (Tickener, 1992, Pettman 1996) Second generation: Developed feminist IR by making gender a central analytic category in studies of foreign policy, security and global political economy. (Moon 1997, Whitworth 2004, Stern 2005)

Example of Feminism research Gender and international security Feminist analysis of the gendered impacts of war and peace Quantitative analysis using gender as a variable to explain aspects of state behaviour and international conflicts Alternative methodological approaches to research on global politics

Typology (1) Empirical feminism: focus on women and /or explore gender as an empirical dimension of international relations; Documented how male bias in the development process has led to poor implementation of projects and unsatisfactory policy outcomes. Women are not only victim they are empowered by it.

variant (2) analytical feminism, that uses gender as a theoretical category to reveal the gender bias of international Relations concepts and explain constitutive aspects of international relations. Deconstruct the theoretical framework of IR Undermines the division between individual, state and international system

Variant (Con…) Normative feminism, that reflects on the process of theorizing as part of a normative agenda for global social and political change. Bring s the experiences of women’s activism to bear on debates about international ethics, humanitarian aid and intervention and human rights instruments.

Contribution (Claim) Dispels the assumption that Powers is come out from barrel of the gun, or ensues from the declaration of the statesman. to reinterpret power suggest that international relations scholars have underestimated the pervasiveness of power and precisely what it takes, at every level and every day, to produce a grossly uneven and hierarchical world order (Enfloe 1997)

Contribution (Cont…) Feminism reconceptualizations of power and attention to the margin of global politic have allowed IR to recognize and comprehend new political phenomena More inclusive view of globalisation

Critics Analytic use of gender as a concept have forms of oppression prevalent in global politics. Universal concept of gender cannot be applied globally. No feminist ‘high ground’ from which to theorise about international relations. Feminist identity and solidarity are problematic.

Sourcess: Jacqui True, 2009, Feminism, in Scott Burchill and Andrew Linklater (eds.) Theories of International relations, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, Jan Jindy Pettman, 1998, Gender Issues in John Baylis and Steve Smith (eds), The Globalization of World politics, pp.483-496. Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg, 2007, Feminism,in Tim Dunne et,all (eds), International Relations Theories, New York: Oxford University press, pp.185-202