Session 21: 'The Personal is International'

With the passage of time, theoretical evolution of the theory of international relations has taken place. Scholars of women or gender have carved out robust sub-fields. One field, which has recently evolved is feminism. It has almost been a decade and half since the book ‘Gendering World Politics’ was published by Ann Tickner who is a feminist.

The first chapter of the book explores the encounter between feminism and international relations and lays out the debates within each. Feminists attack the premise that wars are often fought to safeguard the women and children. Instead they tend to not only create refugee crisis but also mass rape and rampant prostitution. An example of mass rape was seen towards the end of World War II when Allied troops entered Germany. Soviet servicemen committed the crime. Around 100,000 females were reported to have been raped based on the number of abortions reported. Female deaths in Germany in connection with rapes are estimated to be around 240,000.

Moving on, the author talks about how change can only be brought about at a micro level. Females approximate around 41.8% of the world population must have an equal say in politics too. They can offer new insights on the behavior of states and needs of individuals. A new perspective should be provided to which the other women can relate to. May be all we need is to look at the world through a new lens.

Philip Nash points that if the reading has a weakness, it is one of style. The writing is more accessible than some of the other political science texts such as the one written by Yosef Lapid but the prose id tough going. The writing lacks vigor or interesting anecdotes, which could have made it a more interesting read. This may partly be because of the use of jargon such as ‘epistemological’, ‘postpositivist’ etc and these tend to thicken the sentences and make the book seem longer than it is. Tickner herself admits her writing ‘can seem quite mystifying and sometimes even alienating…’

One minor weakness, however, should not be allowed to dissuade non specialists. Ann Tickner has used a vast range of recent literature with empirical evidence to present her point of view. She has managed to explain the introduction of feminist IR in a splendid way through her writing.  Throughout her writing she was cautious to not claim too much for feminist IR or to disregard other theories. It is of great virtue to include the latest trends in political science for many people are discovering that in Cynthia Enloe’s fine phrase, “The Personal is International”. This discovery is enhanced by Ann Tickner in her writing and it helps us cross the disciplinary divide.

Link: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=6301