COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Across the globe, women have made great strides in economic, political and social spheres, but this has not taken away the rigid gender division of labour and unfair hierarchies. True, women participate in some political processes, but they are under-represented in governments and national decision-making groups. Men, around the world, still dominate international security apparatuses and give votes to the making and fighting of wars. It is this global gender order that produces the global political order. Interestingly, while gender is an important aspect of global politics, it is still not fully integrated into the academic study of international relations. However, critical voices from the feminists have forced the discipline to rethink its traditional orientation to include women’s experiences. The feminists in this discipline have re-examined some of the key concepts, such as security, governance, and terrorism, among others. They now ask questions such as whether it makes a difference that most foreign policy decision makers are men and why women remain relatively disempowered in matters of foreign and military policies. By doing so, these feminists have struggled to make women visible as subjects in international relations. Feminists suggest that if we put a gendered lens on international politics, we get a unique view of international politics. This course examines this suggestion by taking gender as a unit of analysis in international politics.
- Teacher: ARAYO SUSAN