Feminist Theory in IR Flashcards
Simply, what is feminist IR?
studies and theories that are critical of masculinism and gender hierarchy
What does feminist IR challenge?
disciplinary narrowness and the role of gender within IR
Is feminism just about women?
no
Feminism interrogates the power to ______________
specify insiders-outsiders, movement agendas, and even the progressiveness of theory and practice that claim to be feminist
Feminism looks at the masculine parts of ________
militarism
What kind of model of human nature does IR rely on?
atomistic, self-serving acquisitive, competitive
this is seen in rational choice
According to feminism what is IR based on/what norm/default?
elite males in a modern european concert
this norm is seen as a default and was supposed to describe human nature everywhere
T or F: the IR norm of masculinism is not flawed
F
It’s problematic
What things does Peterson believe are “masculinist constructs”? And why?
sovereignty, national security, and military strength
believes they are not components of the international system that are neutral and rooted in human nature
Who is the feminist scholar we studied?
Peterson
What are some questions that critique IR?
Where do women fit into the stag hunt?
- traditional version of the stag hunt doesn’t describe everyone
- a domestic counter-part to stag hunt involves women, where women are impacted
- “domestic arrangements” in state behaviour/human behaviour
How are women affected by war and military spending?
-civilian population, allocation of budget for war allocates less resources to key concerns for women
How do women fit into the global political economy?
- domestic events are a part of IR, they affect decision-making
- just because it is more hidden does not mean it’s not significant
How do women “bear the burden of poverty”?
they work formally, informally (black market/illegal or paralegal work), and domestically (usually unpaid and not considered)
Describe what it means that women are “cheapened and flexible”
they perform most cheap labour, working in factories/sweatshops in global south and in manufacturing
what does the neo-liberal model cut?
welfare, safety nets
elimination of subsidies (education, housing, healthcare)
What does Cynthia Enloe’s book Bananas, Beaches, and Bases discuss?
- women’s unequal interactions with military power, colonial control, and the global economy
- different ways women’s lives intersects with global phenomena
Ex:
- local women’s employment became configured around overseas US military bases
- sex trade
-feminist IR interacts unconventionally with IR
What do rationalism and positivism claim to do, and what does this claim give rise to?
- inherently claim to be able to tell the “one true story”
- giving a falsely universalizing” perspective
How does feminism interact with IR?
- many IR scholars have welcomed feminist IR as an addition to the main body
- but “adding women” also exposes how IR theories “presupposes male experience and viewpoint”
- “excluding women/femininity is a fundamental structuring principle of conventional thought, discourse, and theorizing”(peterson)
- true feminist scholarship is transformative, disruptive
What does gender as an analytical category show?
how women and ‘femininity’ have been systematically cast to the side
What does studying ‘gender’ allow for?
- studying femininity in contrast to masculinity as its socially constructed opposite
- examining historical and power-laden “hierarchy of masculine-feminine as interdependent constructs”
Describe the idea of feminizing the other
- links multiple oppressions
- can show marginalization of not only ‘women’ but also nature, racialized minorities, effeminate men, and colonized ‘others’
structural and cultural violence create __________
societal norms of violence
What societal norms of violence and structural and cultural violence entail?
- specifically targeting groups because of intolerance (ex. against women)
- –these views align with the DPT
norms of intolerance and inequality should lead to ________
greater instances of violence
though there are many forms of inequality, gender is a ___________
“cross-cultural foundation of social inequality” (Caprioli)
define exploitation in the context of gender and structural violence
gender role lead to different possibilities for personal development
- look at illiteracy rates
- -in poorer countries, women are less literate; if resources are limited, boys will go to school
define penetration in the context of gender and structural violence
structural violence is maintained through socialization, stereotyping, and a constant threat of violence
define fragmentation in the context of gender and structural violence
women have fewer job opportunities outside the home
define marginalization in the context of gender and structural violence
these dynamics serve to enforce women’s “secondariness”
nationalist movements invariably emphasize ________
masculinized visions of glory(military victory)
-even women head of state doesn’t stop this from happening
militarism is inherently ______
patriarchal
-male hierarchy/chain of command
more pluralistic and equal societies tend to also be more ______, which suggests _______
gender-equal
suggests a causal relationship (even if it’s small)
Does gender inequality just affect women?
no, it has negative repercussions at the societal level
higher fertility rates, lower education and economic opportunity are correlated with _________. This has a predictive quality: _________
- with higher levels of intrastate violence
- higher levels of gender inequality can predict future conflict
studying society through a gendered lens shows us _____ , which shows that feminism transcends IR, and feminism in IR transcends the ___________
shows us structural issues
transcends the typical understanding of gender
