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Gender Matters in Global Politics

A Feminist Introduction to International Relations

Edited by Laura J Shepherd

Published December 14th 2009 by Routledge – 440 pages

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Description

Gender Matters in Global Politics is a comprehensive textbook for advanced undergraduates studying feminism & international relations, gender and global politics and similar courses. It provides students with an accessible but in-depth account of the most significant theories, methodologies, debates and issues.

This textbook is written by an international line-up of established and emerging scholars from a range of theoretical perspectives, providing students with provocative and cutting-edge insights into the study and practices of (how) gender matters in global politics.

Key features and benefits of the book:

  • Introduces students to the wide variety of feminist and gender theory and explains the relevance to contemporary global politics.
  • Explains the insights of feminist theory for a range of other disciplines including international relations, international political economy and security studies.
  • Addresses a large number of key contemporary issues such as human rights, trafficking, rape as a tool of war, peacekeeping and state-building, terrorism and environmental politics.
  • Features extensive pedagogy to facilitate learning – seminar exercises, text boxes, photographs, suggestions for further reading, web resources and a glossary of key terms.

In this innovative and groundbreaking textbook gender is represented as a noun, a verb and a logic, allowing both students and lecturers to develop a sophisticated understanding of the crucial role that gender plays in the theories, policies and practices of global politics.

Reviews

‘Feminist IR isn’t a static thing. It is something you try to do. As the contributors to this lively book show, to engage in the hard and invigorating work of doing feminist IR means to think and re-think, to listen and re-listen, to explore and re-explore.’ - Cynthia Enloe, Clark University

‘The authors of this textbook convincingly demonstrate the importance of putting on our gendered lenses to fully understand a broad array of issues in global politics. A valuable resource for teachers and students of international relations.’ - J. Ann Tickner, School of International Relations, University of Southern California

Contents

Foreword Cynthia Enloe Part 1: Theory/Practice 1. Sex or gender? Bodies in world politics and why gender matters Laura J. Shepherd 2. Ontologies, epistemologies, methodologies Lene Hansen 3. Feminist International Relations: Making Sense… Marysia Zalewski 4. Postcolonial theories and challenges to ‘first world-ism’ Anna Agathangelou and Heather Turcotte Part 2: Ethics and the Human Subject 5. Ethics Kimberly Hutchings 6. Body Politics: Human rights in International Relations Jill Steans 7. Trafficking in human beings Barbara Sullivan Part 3: Violence and Security 8. Miltarisation and war Cynthia Cockburn 9. The ‘war on terrorism’ Krista Hunt 10. Genocide and Mass Violence Adam Jones 11. Sexual Violence in war Donna Pankhurst 12. Peacekeeping, peacebuilding and postconflict reconstruction Nadine Puechguirbal 13. Cyborg soldiers and militarised masculinities Cristina Masters Part 4: Political Economy 14. Mainstreaming gender in international institutions Jacqui True 15. International/Global Political Economy V. Spike Peterson 16. Development institutions and neoliberal globalisation Penny Griffin 17. Production, employment and consumption Juanita Elias and Lucy Ferguson Part 5: Identities, Orders, Borders 18. Migration Jindy Pettman 19. Religion Suruchi Thapar-Bjorkert and Laura J. Shepherd 20. Nationalism Dibyesh Anand 21. Transnational activism Valentine Moghadam Part 6: Information, Communication, Technology 22. Popular culture, media and the politics of the visual Christina Rowley 23. Sex, Gender, and Cyberspace M.I. Franklin 24. Bringin’ it all back home – engendering the academy Terrell Carver

Author Bio

Laura J. Shepherd is a Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS), University of Birmingham. She teaches and researches in the areas of gender politics, international relations and critical security studies.

  • Companion Website