Tickner 2005

J. ANN TICKNER
University of Southern California

Methodological issues represent significant misunderstandings between International Relations (IR) feminists and traditional IR theorists.
Traditional IR theorists request that feminists articulate research questions as testable hypotheses.
Feminists counter that many of their research questions resist social science frameworks, suggesting deep epistemological divides hinder bridging methodologies.

Deep epistemological differences contribute to divergent methodological orientations in feminist IR research.
Feminists question traditional IR assumptions by employing ethnographic, narrative, and cross-cultural methods that are often not included in IR curriculum.

Keohane urged feminists to employ a scientific method to create a research framework centered on democratic peace theory.
He suggested investigating if countries with gender-equitable societies are less inclined to engage in conflict than less equitable societies.

Keohane outlined a series of steps for applying the scientific method:
1. Make a conjecture about causality.
2. Formulate the conjecture into hypotheses based on existing theories.
3. Specify observable implications of hypotheses.
4. Test these implications in the real world.
5. Report findings with transparent methods ensuring replicability.
Keohane identifies himself as a "neopositivist" but acknowledges that scientific success is not the attaining of objective truth, but reaching broader agreement on facts and causal relationships.
Keohane argues researchers should aim for objectivity, speaking out of a commitment to a positivist methodology which views the social world as capable of regularities that can be tested.
Feminist Empiricism, as per Sandra Harding (1986), correlates to this view by proposing that existing biases in research could be corrected through adherence to prevalent scientific methodologies.

Since Keohane’s challenge in 1998, feminist empirical research in IR has expanded although few have adopted the empirical methods he proposed.
Most feminist agendas maintain post-positivist orientations with insights from qualitative methodologies.

Four key distinctions highlight feminist methodology:
1. Question Framing: Feminists focus on the significance of research questions being posed, particularly those that may not have traditionally been recognized.
2. Utility to Women: Research should aim to enhance understanding and address gender-based inequities, contributing positively toward women's situations.
3. Reflexivity: Acknowledging the subjectivity of researchers is critical for generating more nuanced and comprehensive insights.
4. Knowledge as Emancipation: Feminist scholars endorse knowledge that promotes social change and furthers emancipation.

Feminist Questions: Rather than seek traditional IR inquiries focused on state behaviors alone, feminist research often delves into questions around women's disempowerment and the structures maintaining it.
Use of Women’s Experiences: Designing research that incorporates women's practical experiences and realities fosters comprehension and applicability.
Reflexivity: Researchers must critically engage with their positionality and recognize how their experiences inform research issues.
Emancipatory Knowledge: Findings must not only reveal systemic inequalities but aim at actionable insights toward enhancing women's lives.

Focuses on U.S. military prostitution in Korea, exploring how military prostitution intersects with national security policies.
The research illustrates that improving conditions for prostitutes was a function of securing a favorable environment for U.S. troops rather than genuinely improving the lives of women involved.
Moon reflects on personal risks during research and the significance of giving voice to otherwise marginalized narratives.

Investigates the lives of Filipina and Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia, revealing the interplay between their labor and national development projects.
Chin opts for a critical interdisciplinary approach, examining how domestic service workers help shape socio-economic frameworks.
She emphasizes the nuances obscured by traditional economic analyses.

Many feminist inquiries trouble conventional quantitative methodologies due to existing biases and the inadequacy of traditional metrics in capturing women's realities.
Despite critiques, some feminists utilize qualitative data to challenge and supplement quantitative measures that do not adequately reflect gendered social relations.

Feminist methodology in IR resists a singular methodological framework, favoring diverse approaches based on insights drawn from marginalized life experiences.
Future feminist research is likely to maintain a multi-method approach, often prioritizing qualitative insights over quantifiable metrics that inadequately address gendered power dynamics in global politics.