Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives of J. Ann Tickner

Abstract

According to feminism, the discipline of international relations (IR) a decade ago had, and indeed still has, connotations similar to 'maleness'. This maleness is not based strictly on individual personalities, but on a 'hegemonic masculinity' that expresses what masculine men should be in opposition to femininities, which are less valued. Women are not a strong factor in the discipline, and knowledge gained from women's experiences also remains at the periphery of the discipline's analysis. It is clear to Professor J. Ann Tickner that there are gendered perceptions in IR, hidden by purported 'gender neutrality' and 'objectivity'. In other words, although women and gender are both important parts of the daily operation and scholarship of IR, this presence is neither debated nor analysed by most theorists. The goal then of feminist IR is two-fold: to recognise gender where it exists in IR, and to move beyond gendered ideas into collaborative scholarship. In this way, feminist IR theory challenges other strands of IR theory on a number of levels, contributing to the major theoretical debates in the discipline and raising new areas of analysis.

Women’s Scientific Participation in Political Science and International Relations in Brazil

“…In this context and considering the enormous disparities still present, the field of "gender studies" has achieved great prominence in academia. These studies had their origin in feminist waves that emerged in the late 19th century and built consistency in the 20th century (Seema NARAIN, 2014). Initially with the aim of gaining the woman's right to vote, these currents evolved to the debate of issues on a larger scale, such as the end of discrimination, gender equality policies, and more recently to issues much more extensive and profound, such as the influence of ethnicity, nationality, social class, and religion as sources of differences among women, and discussions on "gender identity".…”

“…Specifying a little more, considering gender studies only in Political Science (PS) and in International Relations (IR), literature shows a great advance in recent decades. The contributions are diverse, ranging from the insertion of feminism in the debate on international security (Laura SJOBERG, 2010;NARAIN, 2014) to the contribution of gender in teaching and research methods in International Relations (Deborah STIENSTRA, 2000;Julie MERTUS, 2007;REITER, 2015). However, studies of this nature are still incipient in Brazil.…”

“…In addition to these different categories of feminism and to the many approaches to gender, IR scholars have used gender to discuss classic questions in International Politics. One case highlighted are the contributions made in the area of International Security, as can be seen in papers from J. Ann Tickner (1992Tickner ( , 2001), Sjoberg 2010, and Narain (2014). Particularly in her book Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security (TICKNER,1992), professor Tickner challenges the vision of realistic authors such as Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz about the militarization of the State as a strategy for global security, as well as the neo-realist attempts of applying positivism to IR, using models such as rational choice and the game theory with the justification of inserting "scientific rigor" in the discipline.…”

Representation of Female Members of Ypj in British Media

“…In this sense, feminists analyze relations of power involving men and women and how such interaction has been historically and socially implemented over time, in order to open space for gender in major theoretical debates. Prior to presenting a brief context of IR feminist narratives and its main ideas and premises, it is important to define two key terms for this approach (NARAIN, 2014;RUIZ, 2004). First, gender is not the equivalent of the biological characteristics described by the term "sex".…”

Circuits, the everyday and international relations: Connecting the home to the international and transnational

“…In western societies, the establishment of the home as a private realm is usually associated with the movement of paid work from the home to factories and workshops (Trentmann, 2016: 223). The point has been explored in depth by feminist scholars, with Mies noting how capitalist production and accumulation led to a process of ‘housewifisation’, whereby the man left the home to work and the woman stayed at home (Mies, 2014: 74; see also Narain, 2014: 194). The home was also a place removed from the insecurities of the public realm (Browning, 2018: 251).…”