Theories Of World Politics | Seminar Notes

THEORIES OF WORLD POLITICS LESSON 2  - Emerged after the end of the Cold War and new theoretical 1. debates in IR Introductio n - Constitutive, interdisciplinary theories - Prioritize the study of women...

THEORIES OF WORLD POLITICS LESSON 2  - Emerged after the end of the Cold War and new theoretical 1. debates in IR Introductio n - Constitutive, interdisciplinary theories - Prioritize the study of women and gender DESCRIBE THE COLLAGE 1. Does this scholarship program promote equality and justice for women in STEM fields? Why or why not? Consider both the potential benefits and drawbacks. - Provides financial - Aims to increase support to enable representation of Benefits: more women to women in male- pursue STEM dominated STEM degrees fields - Excludes male and - Sends a message transgender that women are Drawbacks: students, potentially valued and wanted seen as in STEM discriminatory - May put unfair - Focuses only on - Could reinforce pressure on female financial barriers, stereotypes that students to pursue not other systemic women need special STEM even if not issues keeping help to succeed in their passion women out of STEM STEM 2. How might intersectionality factor into the impacts of this scholarship program? Are there ways it could be modified to be more inclusive? Intersectionality highlights how different aspects of identity (gender, race, class, etc.) intersect to create unique experiences of privilege or oppression. This scholarship program focuses solely on gender, which fails to account for how other identities intersect with gender to shape women's experiences in STEM. For liberal feminist… The liberal feminist view sees power primarily in terms of access and representation, while critical feminism examines deeper power structures and intersecting systems of oppression. Critical approaches would likely push for more radical transformation of STEM fields and institutions. Liberal feminism: Focuses on achieving equal rights and opportunities for women within existing political and economic structures Emphasizes legal and policy reforms to address gender discrimination Seeks to integrate women into existing institutions and power structures Views the state as potentially beneficial for advancing women's rights Tends to focus more on issues affecting women in developed Western countries Critical feminist approaches - Question and challenge fundamental power structures and institutions as inherently gendered - Analyze how gender intersects with other forms of oppression like race, class, sexuality, etc. - Seek more radical transformation of social, political and economic systems - Are more skeptical of the state and existing institutions as means for change - Incorporate perspectives from the Global South and marginalized groups - Examine how militarism, capitalism, colonialism etc. are gendered systems - Use a wider range of methodologies beyond just policy analysis FEMINISM There is no single definition of feminism, just as there is no single definition of other political theories like liberalism or Marxism. At its core, feminism is rooted in an analysis of the economic, political, physical and social subordination of women globally and is committed to eliminating this subordination. Feminism promotes equality and justice for all women, so that women's opportunities are not unfairly limited solely because of their gender. It is an analysis of power and its effects. Feminism has contributed to developing new research methods and forms of knowledge, including making women's diverse experiences, roles and status visible. FEMINISM… It involves reexamining and rewriting histories that excluded or marginalized women and reformulating basic concepts to address their gendered definitions. Feminism informs theories and social movements, with an interplay between theorists, practitioners, policies and practice. - Definitions and focuses of feminism have evolved to incorporate issues like race, imperialism, sexuality, etc. - It aims to understand what women are saying and doing rather than relying only on men's perspectives about women. IN A NUTSHELL… So in essence, feminism is a multifaceted movement and set of theories aimed at understanding and challenging women's subordination in all its forms in order to promote gender equality and justice. Its specific definitions and focuses have evolved, but it remains centered on analyzing and transforming gendered power relations in society. SOME KEY CONCEPTS IN FEMINIST INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORIES 1. Social construction of gender: 2. Hierarchical binary oppositions: 3. Making women's experiences visible: 4. Denaturalizing women's roles/status: 5. Evolving definitions of feminism: 6. Intersectionality: 7. Critique of dominant IR construction of It explains that gender is not simply determined by biological sex but is socially constructed through expectations, access to opportunities, and social norms. The social The example of "throwing like a girl" illustrates how gendered gender assumptions shape perceptions and behaviors.  It explains that gender is not simply determined by biological sex but is socially constructed through expectations, access to opportunities, and social norms. The example of "throwing like a girl" illustrates how gendered assumptions shape perceptions and behaviors. The social constructio n of gender Hierarchical binary oppositions: Feminist theorists argue that social and political meanings are structured around binary oppositions (e.g. masculine/feminine) that are not just different but hierarchical, with masculinity encoded as superior and femininity as inferior. This creates a system where traits associated with masculinity are privileged. Making women's experiences visible: A key goal of feminist scholarship has been to make women's diverse experiences, roles and status visible in areas where they were previously excluded or marginalized. This has involved re-examining histories and reformulating basic concepts to address their gendered definitions.  Feminist approaches aim to expose how women's experiences, roles and status are not simply determined Denaturalizing by biology, but are constructed through women's social, political, roles/status: economic and cultural relations. This challenges assumptions that women's positions are "natural" or inevitable. Evolving definitions of feminism Feminism has changed over time to incorporate issues like race, imperialism, sexuality and the experiences of women of color and LGBTQ women. This reflects the evolving nature of feminist theory and movements. Intersectionality While not using this specific term, the chapter discusses how feminist theories have grappled with the intersections of gender with other factors like race, sexuality, and global inequalities between North and South.  - They are described as "constitutive, SOME KEY POINTS interdisciplinary theories" that consistently prioritize the study of women and engage in ABOUT FEMINIST debates over the meaning of gender. INTERNATIONAL - As constitutive theories, they hold that the world is intrinsic to and affected by theories RELATIONS about it, rather than being external and unaffected. THEORIES BEING - They allow for the study of language, identity, CONSTITUTIVE and difference, which is seen as necessary for AND understanding the complexity of world politics. INTERDISCIPLINARY - They are interdisciplinary, drawing from various fields and approaches beyond just International Relations.  - They developed new methods of research and - They forms of incorporate knowledge, re- insights from Some examining histories and reformulating diverse feminist movements and practitioners, not key basic concepts to just academic address theorists. gendered points definitions. So in summary, feminist - They engage IR theories are with issues of constitutive in how they view theory as shaping race, … reality, and interdisciplinary in imperialism, drawing from multiple sexuality, etc. fields and perspectives to analyze international that cross politics through a feminist lens. This allows disciplinary them to provide new insights beyond boundaries. traditional IR approaches. KEY POINTS ABOUT HOW FEMINIST INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORIES PRIORITIZE THE STUDY IF WOMEN AND GENDER 3. Evolution of Feminism - Changing definitions over time - Incorporation of race, imperialism, sexuality issues - Challenges from women of color and LGBTQ women  5. Types of Feminist IR Theories - Liberal feminism - Critical feminism - Postcolonial feminism - Poststructural feminism Liberal Feminism Liberal feminism in IR focuses on achieving equal rights and opportunities for women within existing political and economic structures. Key aspects include: - Advocating for women's increased participation in international politics and institutions - Promoting legal reforms to ensure gender equality - Emphasizing women's individual rights and freedoms  Critical Feminism Critical feminist IR theory takes a more radical approach, arguing that fundamental changes to the international system are needed. Key elements include: - Analyzing how gender hierarchies and patriarchal structures shape global politics - Critiquing militarism and state-centric approaches to security - Advocating for alternative, bottom-up approaches to international relations Postcolonial Feminism Postcolonial feminism in IR examines how colonialism, imperialism and racism intersect with gender. Key features include: - Highlighting diverse experiences of women in the Global South - Critiquing Western-centric feminist approaches - Analyzing how colonial legacies continue to impact gender relations globally Poststructural Feminism Poststructural feminist IR theory focuses on deconstructing gendered language, discourse and knowledge production. Key aspects include: - Examining how gendered binaries and categories shape international politics - Analyzing the performative nature of gender in global affairs - Critiquing essentialist notions of gender identity These different feminist IR approaches share a focus on gender as a key category of analysis, but vary in their specific emphases and prescriptions for change in the international system. Critical, postcolonial and poststructural feminisms tend to be more radical in their critiques compared to liberal feminism.