Chapter 14: Gender, sexuality and social reproduction Flashcards
What is gender?
Gender describes the social and cultural norms that constitute masculinity and femininity
What are the three leading approaches to feminist theory in international relations?
Liberal feminism, Marxist feminism, and postcolonial feminism
How does Cynthia Enloe (2014) contribute to feminist theory in international relations?
She exposes the gendered nature of international politics by revealing the role of gendered divisions of labor in practices such as diplomacy and international political economy.
How does Enloe describe the methodological approach of feminist theory in IR?
Enloe describes it as a form of “detective work,” aimed at rendering visible the typically concealed structures and spheres in international relations.
What does feminist theory critique in international politics according to Enloe and others?
Feminist theory critiques how gendered values and priorities privilege the masculine and denigrate the feminine in both theory and practice of international politics.
How does Tickner contribute to feminist theory in international relations?
Tickner offers a feminist critique of political realism, particularly the principles put forward by Morgenthau, highlighting the gendered biases inherent in these theories.
What alternative ethics of war does Ruddick propose?
Ruddick argues for an alternative ethics of war derived from the virtues inherent in the caring work of mothering, critiquing the masculine values reflected in just war theory.
What recent focus areas has feminist scholarship in IR explored?
Recent scholarship has focused on the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and the development of a distinctively feminist approach to security theory.
What is the second mode of feminist theory influenced by?
Marxist ideas, understanding gender as a form of class relations.
According to Marxist feminists, what role do gendered relations of power play in global capitalism?
Gendered relations of power enable the unpaid domestic labor of women, which is central to upholding global politico-economic structures of production, trade, finance, and accumulation.
(Elias and Roberts, 2018).
How do feminist theorists operating within the third mode of feminist theorizing approach international politics?
They take an intersectional approach, focusing on how gendered relations of power intersect with hierarchies of race, class, sexuality, and empire. Crenshaw (1989)
What does Chandra Mohanty (1988) criticize Western feminists for?
Mohanty criticizes Western feminists for portraying women from developing countries in a monolithic, victimized manner, which she sees as a form of discursive colonization legitimizing neocolonial interventionism.
How do norms of gender and sexuality operate according to Andrew Delatolla (2020)?
Delatolla argues that they operate as a standard of civilization, maintaining a “divided world” from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century.
What historical women have made contributions to feminist perspectives on international politics?
Thinkers such as Helena Swanwick, Anna Julia Cooper, Merze Tate, Lucy Mair, Rosa Luxemburg, and Amy Ashwood Garvey have made significant contributions, though their work has often been obscured or erased from IR’s canon. (Owens, 2018)
What has recent IR scholarship sought to do regarding historical women’s contributions to IR?
Recent IR scholarship has sought to retrieve and highlight the contributions of historical women, raising questions about the IR canon as a whole. (Owens, 2021)
The exclusion of historical women from IR’s canon reflects broader issues of gender bias and inequality within academia. Addressing this exclusion is essential for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field and for fostering a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of global politics.