Embedded feminism
Embedded feminism is the attempt of state authorities to legitimize an intervention in a conflict by co-opting feminist discourses and instrumentalizing feminist activists and groups for their own agenda. This term was introduced in the analysis of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, but can also be applied to several historical examples where women's rights were used as justification and legitimization of Western interventionism.[1]
Concept
Originally,
The "far-reaching process of appropriating and subverting feminism through appeals to women's rights"[6] that is embedded feminism is different from simple co-optation practices by state authorities in so far as it goes beyond the absorption "of the meanings of the original concepts to fit into the prevailing political priorities".[7]
Implications of embedded feminism in the fight for women's rights
Historical examples
Krista Hunt argues that appeals to
The War on Terror
The history of the War on Terror throughout realm of international relations consistently showcases a male-stream discipline and a hyper-masculine war hero narrative. In other words, the story is narrated by these men, who hold high positions of power and are fixated to exemplify their heroic qualities to shield women from harm and collide with the world’s difficulties.[20] For example, according to the former US President, George W. Bush, the central goal of the terrorists is the brutal oppression of women…that is the reason this great nation, with our friends and allies, will not rest until we bring them all to justice.[21] This rallying cry by the Bush administration is exactly the narrative that is at question. Statements such as these can suggest that Western (and more specifically American) men and women are obligated to free the oppressed Afghan woman, and therefore provide reasoning for interventionist international policy.[22] It Furthermore, such statements often ignore the power dynamic between liberated white western women and the perceived oppressed Afghan women.
In 2001, the
Hegemonic Western feminism and post-colonial critique
Hunt notes that there is a striking similarity between the logic of embedded feminism in colonialist projects and the
Contextualisation
The unique nature of embedded feminism as a state strategy is not just the argumentation based on the representation of women and children as victims, but the conjunction of this discourse with the struggle for women's rights. Hunt's concept has made an impact on gender-related conflict research and has been applied to the wars in
See also
- Embedded journalism
- Orientalism
- Feminism in international relations
- Femonationalism
References
- .
- ISBN 9780754644811.
- ^ Department of Defense (2006). "Public Affairs Guidance for Embedded Reporters". Office of Freedom of Information. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Jeppesen, Helle (2008). "To Embed or Not To Embed – The Debate Over War Reporting". DW. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Wells, Matt (2003). "Embedded Reporters 'Sanitised' Iraq War". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ISBN 9780754644811.
- S2CID 220348728.
- ISBN 9780520069848.
- ^ Linkogle, Stephanie (2001). "Nicaraguan Women in the Age of Globalization". In Rowbotham, Sheila; Linkogle, Stephanie (eds.). Women Resist Globalization: Mobilizing for Livelihood and Rights. New York: Zed Books. pp. 118–133.
- ^ Tetrault, Mary Ann (1992). "Women and Revolution: A Framework for Analysis". In Peterson, V. Spike (ed.). Gendered States: Feminist (Re)Visions of International Relations Theory. Boulder: Lynne Rienner. pp. 99–121.
- ISBN 9780252011085.
- S2CID 19417513.
- ^ Ahmed, Leila (1992). Women and Gender in Islam. New Haven & London: Yale Univ. Press.
- ^ Ware, Vron (1992). Beyond the Pale: White Women, Racism and History. London: Verso.
- ^ Said, Edward (1978). Orientalism. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- .
- ISBN 9780754644811.
- ^ Al-Ali, Nadje (2000). Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East. The Egyptian Women's Movement. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.
- ^ Hafez, Sherine (2011). An Islam of Her Own. Reconsidering Religion and Secularism in Women's Islamic Movements. New York: New York Univ. Press.
- ^ Shepherd, Laura J. ed. 2014. Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations. 2nd Edition. NY: Routledge. (131–140)
- ^ Shepherd, Laura J. ed. 2014. Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations. 2nd Edition. NY: Routledge. (131–140)
- ^ Shepherd, Laura J. ed. 2014. Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations. 2nd Edition. NY: Routledge. (131–140)
- ^ Bush, George W. (2001). "State of the Union Address". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Nachtigall, Andrea; Bewernitz, Torsten (2011). "Von ‚FrauenundKindern' zu ‚Embedded Feminism'. Frauen(rechte) als Legitimation für militärische Intervention in den Medien – Variationen einer Legitimationsfigur zwischen Kosovo-, Afghanistan- und Irakkrieg". In Engels, Bettina; Gayer, Corinna (eds.). Geschlechterverhältnisse, Frieden und Konflikt. Feministische Denkanstöße für die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
- ^ Al-Ali, Nadje (2011). "Embedded Feminism – Frauenrechte als Legimitation für Krieg". Heinrich Böll Stiftung. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Powell, Colin (2002). "Remarks at Reception to Mark International Women's Day". U. S. State Department of State. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Feroz, Emran (2016). "Die Mär von der Frauenbefreiung". taz.de. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ The Washington Post (2001). "Radio address by first lady Laura Bush". Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- S2CID 32844724.
- ^ Miller, Elizabeth (2002). "An Open Letter to the Editors of Ms. Magazine". RAWA. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Hayden, Tom (2011). "Pentagon Enlists Feminists for War Aims". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Wibben, Annick T. R. (2016). "Female Engagement Teams in Afghanistan. Exploring the 'War on Terror' Narrative". In Wibben, Annick T. R. (ed.). Researching War: Feminist Methods, Ethics and Politics. London & New York: Routledge.
- ^ Said, Edward W. (1978). Orientalism. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- ^ Said, Edward W. (1978). Orientalism. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- .
- ISBN 9780252011085.
- ^ Afghan Women's Mission (2011). "US-Backed Fundamentalists in Afghan War No Different From 9/11 Perpetrators". Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (2001). "Taliban Should be Overthrown by the Uprising of Afghan Nation". RAWA. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ Kolhatkar, Sonali (2002). "The Impact of U.S. Intervention on Afghan Women's Rights". Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law and Justice. 17 (1): 12–30.
- S2CID 28792889.
- ^ Enloe, Cynthia (1989). Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
- ^ Al-Ali, Nadje; Pratt, Nicola (2009). What Kind of Liberation: Women and the Occupation of Iraq. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press.
- ^ Nachtigall, Andrea; Bewernitz, Torsten (2011). "Von ‚FrauenundKindern' zu ‚Embedded Feminism'. Frauen(rechte) als Legitimation für militärische Intervention in den Medien – Variationen einer Legitimationsfigur zwischen Kosovo-, Afghanistan- und Irakkrieg". In Engels, Bettina; Gayer, Corinna (eds.). Geschlechterverhältnisse, Frieden und Konflikt. Feministische Denkanstöße für die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Baden-Baden: Nomos. pp. 27–46.
Further reading
- Sjoberg, Laura (2013): Gendering Global Conflict. Toward a Feminist Theory of War. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Tickner, J. Ann (1992): Gender in International Relations. Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Tickner, J. Ann (2011): Retelling IR's Foundational Stories: Some Feminist and Postcolonial Perspectives. In: Global Change, Peace & Security 23 (1), pp. 5–13.
- Tickner, J. Ann; Sjoberg, Laura (eds.) (2011): Feminism and International Relations: Conversations about the Past, Present and Future. London, New York: Routledge.