April 10-11, 2017

Pre-conference Workshop: April 9, 2017

South Asian University, New Delhi, India
Venue: India International Centre, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi (TBC)

WALKING THE TALK: FEMINIST REFLECTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES

We invite submissions for individual papers or pre-constituted panels on any topic pertaining to the conference theme and sub-themes. We also welcome papers and panels that consider any other feminist IR-related questions. For more information, see the conference website at IFjPConference.net or email ifjp@ufl.edu. The submission deadline is Tuesday August 9, 2016.

Theme Call for Papers

Feminist International Relations (IR) scholarship has persuasively represented global politics as a masculinist domain. The dominance of hegemonic masculinities over femininities and subordinate masculinities is evident across a broad spectrum of international practices, from treaty negotiations to the work of ‘progressive’ civil society groups that may well be complicit in the reproduction of gendered hierarchies in their everyday work. Even as gender issues gain recognition in the political arena and more women join public deliberations, the conduct of international relations continues to be defined by such powerful binaries. Stereotypical assumptions about race, sexuality and economic privilege – and relations of power therein – further ascribe the dominant ways of ‘doing’ global politics.

The conference organizers invite feminist reflections on diverse international practices such as diplomacy and statecraft, bureaucratic politics, activism and advocacy, and indeed research and other forms of knowledge production. We encourage submissions that seek not only to build on existing (re)formulations of international relations, but also to identify and propose specific feminist ethics, strategies and methods in/for the everyday conduct of international practices.

Potential contributors may wish to consider the following questions:

What makes an international practice, organization or institution feminist?
What difference do ‘diverse’ bodies, including those of women, make to
international practices?
Are particular ‘levels of analysis’ or spheres of activity better suited to
feminist practices?
What are the ethical anchors for feminist practices?
What is the significance of concepts such as accountability, democracy,
empathy, solidarity and transparency in feminist practices?
What is the role of culture, broadly understood, in defining, understanding
and advocating for feminist practices?
In light of the employment of ‘strategic essentialisms’ in advocacy and
policymaking, to what extent do ends justify means?
What is the scope of resistance and resilience in contemporary international
practices? How are these gendered?
How do neoliberal logic and funding imperatives factor into gender-related
work?
In what ways does attention to practices challenge existing feminist IR
theories and methodologies?
Papers and panel proposals focusing on practices of specific international (or regional) organizations such as the United Nations are also welcome.
Inquiries should be addressed to the journal’s email address, ifjp@ufl.edu.