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Plan for Today: Feminist IR Theory

Plan for Today: Feminist IR Theory. Marilyn Waring film. Introducing examples of questions that feminists address. Common critiques of feminist approaches. Marilyn Waring Who’s Counting? (NFB 1995). Based on 1988 book, If Women Counted (later Counting for Nothing )

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Plan for Today: Feminist IR Theory

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  1. Plan for Today:Feminist IR Theory • Marilyn Waring film. • Introducing examples of questions that feminists address. • Common critiques of feminist approaches.

  2. Marilyn WaringWho’s Counting? (NFB 1995) • Based on 1988 book, If Women Counted (later Counting for Nothing) • Portions available on YouTube. Photo source: pbs.org

  3. Questions of Concern to Feminists • Understanding how male domination of IR has led to certain consequences: • Preoccupation with war and conflict. • Focus on military goals vs. human security goals.

  4. Questions of Concern to Feminists • Gender aspects of international political economy and international development policies. • Economic globalization  sex trade.

  5. Questions of Concern to Feminists • Gender aspects of international political economy and international development policies. • Economic globalization  sex trade. • Development policies: harming women by exclusion or arbitrary definition of women’s roles.

  6. Changes in International Development Paradigms Concerning Women • Initial ignorance of effects on women. • “Women in Development” paradigm in international development (from 1980s). • Third world feminist response.

  7. Questions of Concern to Feminists • Environmental issues (eco-feminism): • Women’s relationship with nature: sustaining and working in harmony rather than dominating nature and using it for man’s gain.

  8. Criticisms of Feminist Theory • Feminists essentialize (and thereby reify) women’s roles. • Are women really more peaceful than men?

  9. Men vs. Women on War Source: Survey & Policy Research Institute, San Jose, Cal., Sept. 2002

  10. Men vs. Women on Environment • 2000 Finnish government survey (2500 people): • 50% of women and 38% of men ready to pay higher prices for environmentally friendly products. • 2007 British survey by UKRC (1000 people): • 86% of women and 76% of men “extremely” or “somewhat” concerned about global warming.

  11. Criticisms of Feminist Theory • Feminists essentialize (and thereby reify) women’s roles. • Are women really more peaceful than men? • Do women really have a more nurturing, caring view of nature/ environment? • Most feminists argue these differences socially constructed; some argue biological.

  12. Criticisms of Feminist Theory • Feminists should look more at constructed masculinity and not just focus on women. (Adam Jones) • E.g. How masculinity constructed in military service.

  13. Criticisms of Feminist Theory • Feminists ignore consequences of international politics on men. • Imply that effects worse for women, when probably only different. • Feminist response: Effects on women ignored until recently.

  14. Criticisms of Feminist Theory • Feminists are rich, white, Western women who have ignored poor, non-white, non-Western women’s problems. • Feminist response: More nuanced feminist perspectives have emerged in recent decades.

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