This document summarizes different feminist theories of international relations, including liberal feminism, feminist constructivism, critical feminism, feminist poststructuralism, and postcolonial feminism. It discusses the key scholars and ideas within each approach. It also provides an example case study on feminist perspectives of sanctions against Iraq from 1990-2013, analyzing how questions around gender, power structures, and experiences are approached differently than mainstream theories. The document advocates using gendered lenses to re-examine other mainstream international relations case studies as well.

1. Theories of International Relations
22nd class meeting, June 2, 2016
Feminist IR theories - II
J. Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg in DKS
Anna van der Vleuten

2. 2 The Authors
J.Ann Tickner
http://www.theory-talks.org/2013/04/theory-talk-54.html
Unfortunately, no ‘conversations with history’ by Harry Kreisler
Laura Sjoberg,
critical security
studies
President of the ISA, 2006-2007

3. 3 What is feminist IR about?
Introduction: Professor Kimberley Hutchins on Feminism in International
Relations, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajAWGztPUiU (11 minutes)
1. Pointing to the exclusions and biases of mainstream IR (state-centrism and
positivism)
2. Making women visible as social, economic and political subjects in
international politics
3. Analyse how gender inequalities are embedded in the day-to-day practices
of international relations
4. Empower women as subjects of knowledge by building theoretical
understanding of international relations from the position of women and
their lived experiences.
(Jill Steans, 2003, 435)
How does gender impact on international politics, and international politics on
gender? (definition of ‘gender’: Tickner & Sjoberg, 2016: 180)

4. 4 Liberal feminism/Feminist rationalism
Joshua Goldstein
Mary Caprioli & Mark Boyer
“Gender as a variable”
[see class on Liberalism]
Criticized by other feminist
strands because of
-Idea of progress
-Positivist framework
-Quantitative research/indicators
-Focus on states

5. 5 Feminist rationalism – criticism of mainstream
rationalism:
1. The state as central actor
- A-priori dominance of the arena of governmental politics; non-state actors
as onlookers/recipients  why not varying hierarchy of arenas
2. The state as a unitary actor
- Speaks with one voice  whose voice?
3. A rudimentary view of power
- Material power of the sovereign state  rather include ideational power
4. The definition of the national interest  whose interest?

6. 6 Rationalism or rationalists?
What is the problem: the theory or the scholars?
Example: In 1957, why did 6 powerful men decide to adopt a binding article on
equal pay + deadline for implementation?
• Alan Milward (1992), economic historian:
• ‘No country dared object to the inclusion in the treaty of a promise to
legislate for equal pay for the sexes’
 Why not? Gendered idea of appropriateness?
 The Netherlands did (+ Treaty of Rome declaration)
• Gender-blindness of IR scholars

7. 7 Feminist constructivism
How ideas about gender shape and
are shaped by global politics
Elisabeth Prügl: home-based work
(What is work? Who counts
as a worker? Who is
protected by international
regulations?  gendered)
Charli Carpenter:
“Larry, no men under sixty, OK?”

8. 8 Critical feminism/critical security studies
‘The problem is that the discipline of IR has defined its core concerns in such
a way as to exclude the most marked forms of violence in world politics,
In favour of a relatively small subset which ultimately relies on the prior move
of separating out the outside from the inside of the state, separating
economics and politics, separating the public from the private…
One can add that the discipline’s defintion of violence looks very closely
linked to the concerns of the white, rich male world of the power elite’.
Violence = ?
Security = ?
What is security? Security for whom?
 Steve Smith, presidential address to
the ISA (2004) :

9. Feminist poststructuralism
Landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security
• The Security Council adopted resolution (S/RES/1325) on women and peace
and security on 31 October 2000.
• The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and
resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping,
humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the
importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the
maintenance and promotion of peace and security.
• Resolution 1325 urges all actors to increase the participation of women and
incorporate gender perspectives in all UN peace and security efforts.
• It also calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women
and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of
sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.
Laura Shepherd,
research on Gender,
conflict and security:

10. 10 Postcolonial feminism
Awareness of Self & Other, of
stereotypes and underlying power
structures

11. 11 Case study: feminist perspectives on sanctions,
Iraq 1990-2013
Questions asked by mainstream approaches?
Realist explanation
Liberal explanation
Constructivist explanation
Questions asked by feminist approaches:
• Who took the decisions?
• Are sanctions effective?
• Are economic sanctions a security issue?
• How is gender used in the politics of the
sanction regime?
• How are actions and actors (de)legitimized
using gender?
‘Sanctions of Mass Destruction’

12. 12 Case study - continued
Feminist theory of sanctions:
1. Where are the women
2. Gendered logic of policy choice:
adversarial logic, stronger –
weaker [game of chicken]
- and postcolonial criticism
3. Re-examine question of
responsibility
Invisible War. The US
and the Iraq sanctions
Discussing lifting of UN Article 7 sanctions

13. 13 Gendered lenses & the case studies in DKS
How might gendered lenses see
1. the War on Terror?
2. the WTO and international trade regulation?
3. the Rise of China?