Call for Special Dossier: "Gender and International Relations - views of Latin American women on feminisms, institutions and sexualities"

GENERAL THEME

Feminist theories have been responsible for a resounding epistemic turn in the different disciplines of the Social Sciences. In International Relations (IR), these perspectives had a strong impact on the so-called Third Debate and brought to IR an epistemic review by pointing out that the hegemonic theories of the field were founded on patriarchal conceptions. This allowed us to consider that knowledge has responded to the actions of powerful groups and has been presented as absolute. In this sense, feminist theory set the discussion on the ideological frameworks and values within which knowledge about the international system and nation-states was built on. One of its most important contributions has been to expand the analysis of IR towards new themes and actors or, at least, to new dimensions of traditionally addressed issues, enriching the reflection within the discipline itself.

This call for articles aims to highlight the many contemporary discussions involving gender debate in the field of IR, also seeking to consolidate the establishment of the Latin American Network MulheRIs + MujeRIs of researchers in Gender and International Relations, initially created as a result of the approximation of the respective internationalist groups of Brazil and Argentina.

The main goal of the group MulheRIs is to promote gender equality and to improve the situation of women in IR academia in Brazil. After some years of extensive work, the IR Brazilian Association (ABRI) institutionalized the gender and sexuality studies area. In Argentina, the group MujeRIs has also been created to strengthen this research line within its IR field. This call represents thus the collaboration and the strengthening of ties between both groups and its purpose is to widen the feminist debate among Latin American IR community and develop a stronger research subfield. 

IR Feminist theories criticize the gender biases of the most traditionalist perspectives. IR main concepts such as state, politics, security, conflict and global governance have been reviewed, seeking to identify the context of its initial construction and highlighting the aspects that have been set aside. Since the last decades of the twentieth century, the varied debates generated by the feminist agenda have given a special centrality to intersectionality, with the combination of labor, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic factors that have contributed to a more adequate analysis of the complex scenario in which women are socially relegated within a patriarchal system.

In this context, feminist theories have managed to introduce the gender category to the international field, beyond the domestic realm. The national analysis of social processes or phenomena was related to a narrow distinction between public and private spaces, which was part of modern capitalism. These two spheres, treated as opposed, defined its objects of study and skewed the results of analysis. Each sphere was loaded with its own characteristics, expectations and roles, which coincided with those granted to binary gender constructions: the domestic or private sphere was reserved for social reproduction, by women; while the political or public sphere was the one that concentrated the discussions on power, nation, or state, destined for men.

Reviewing the patriarchal foundations upon which nations and the international system were built is an ongoing proposal, with important contemporary theoretical debates, especially reflected in the postcolonial/decolonial discussions and also in Latin American feminist literature. This revision has enabled discussions about the definition of otherness and about the homogenization processes related to the construction of national identities. Many questions emerged around the participation of women in the international arena, women's mobilizations, the gender agenda of international organizations, the impact of international processes on their lives and also about their identities, no longer limited to the national space. 

Thus, this call aims to deepen the epistemological review that has driven feminism in the discipline of IR while fostering the emergence of new forms of knowledge that come from the Global South. In dialogue (although not always in coincidence) with postcolonial/decolonial theories, Latin American feminism has made important contributions to the construction of an IR perspective from the South, bringing in new voices and new experiences. The mobilization of women in Latin America has shown to be very active in recent times, including claims into governmental agendas regarding labor, reproductive and sexual rights, identity and access to health care, among many others. The transnational character of this mobilization invites us to think about new forms of institutionalization, regionalization and international activism.

It is therefore necessary to review the contribution of feminist theories to the discipline of International Relations from the perspective and experience of Latin American women and minorities and with regard to their participation in the international sphere, contributing to the revision of the foundations of this field of knowledge and bringing the Latin American perspective into the broad debate. 

 

OBJECTIVES AND THEMATIC AREAS

In the context of the various debates on Gender and IR presented above, the main objectives of this call are:

- Contribute to the systematization of feminist theories towards the construction of a feminist Latin American IR perspective;         

- Discuss Gender/Feminist IR researches in progress in Latin America (but also from Latin America and the global South);

- Analyze the realities of Latin American women and intersectional issues, for example, the role of indigenous women and indigenism; gender issues in peripheral economies and the effects of regionalization, (de)globalization, etc.

The thematic areas covered are the following: i) Latin American, Black and Indigenous Feminisms; ii) Gender, Institutions and Society; iii) Gender and International Security; iv) Sexualities, Gender and LGBTQIA+ Perspectives in International Relations.

This call aims to stimulate the publication of Latin American internationalist women. We also encourage the submission of papers produced by representatives of sexual and gender minorities.

 

FORMAT

The Dossier receives empirical and theoretical research articles, as well as qualitative and quantitative research on the themes defined above. Papers with innovative methodologies are also welcome. 

The publication rules and the submission process can be found through the link: [https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/rppi/about/submissions].

The submitted articles must be in final and unpublished versions. At the time of submission, the authors must indicate the direction to the Dossier. 

Once accepted for publication, the articles submitted in Portuguese must be translated by the authors into Spanish or English.

DEADLINES:

Reception of the articles - from September to December, 18th, 2022

Evaluation of submitted articles - from October, 2022 to February, 2023

Final submission of articles (after evaluation) - until March, 2023

Translation of articles written in portuguese - April, 2023

Publication - May, 2023