New Waves of Theorizing in GP

Cynthia Enloe

She highlighted exclusion of women in IR; exposed “gender-blind” theory

Liberal Feminism

Focus on rights & removing formal barriers; asks how absence of women affect IR

Critical Feminism

Based on Gramscian Marxism; examines material + ideational bases of gendered power

Feminist Constructivism

Studies how ideas about gender shape & are shaped by GP

Feminist Poststructuralism 

Analyzes how ideas about gender shape & are shaped by GP

Postcolonial Feminism 

Critiques Western feminism; stresses race/class/geography differences; GS women portrayed as voiceless 

Gender Theory

Gender = socially constructed attributes; multiple masculinities/feminities; affecrs all actors

Consequences of Gender

Shapes access to food, healthcare, political voice, vulnerability to violence & all actors

Gender & Security - Myth of Protection 

War framed as protecting women/children; but 90% of casualties are them; security politics gendered 

Gender & Economics - Double Burden

Women bear unpaid private work + low-paid jobs; limits future opportunities

Sexuality in IR

Heteronormativity dominates; other sexualities criminalized; UN pushing protection

Race as a Social Construct 

Race = social construct; reinforced by power/institutions; not biological 

Racism & Colonialism

Colonialism justified by racial superiority; embedded racism persists in IR

Nationalism & Race

Nationalism sometimes shields racism but not always identical; can be emancipatory

Culture & IR (Clash of Civilizations)

Huntington’s “Clash” framed conflict as cultural; anthro emphsizes equal worth of cultures

Postcolonial Theory (Goal)

Goal - Critique Eurocentrism, amplify “new voices,” decolonize IR curriculum 

Edward Said - Orientalism

Orientalism = Western “othering” of East (mysterious, weak, irrational); discourse of domination

Subaltern Studies

Bottom-up focus on marginalized voices; asks “Does the subaltern speak?”

Current Postcolonial Theory 

Colonial legacies persist in hybrid identities, contested nationhood, & GS not fixed