The Future is Just the Start

This reflection is kind of bittersweet because it reminds me of everything I have learned this semester and how much I will miss coming to class and hearing other perspectives on FEMINISM.

One quote that really stood out to me was that, "[the] narratives of security, told from outsiders' standpoints, offer a very different account of security than the dominant state-centered security narrative" (Wibben 2011, p. 100). When it comes to security, it is a very individualist concept. Our American idea of security varies from state to state. Not even that. I think that it varies from person to person.
In Communication, we have qualitative research methods, in which we interview individuals to gain their perspective. Using that as a tool, it's a way to better understand where the research is going and what still needs to be done. There is also the argument that because we are not personally involved in other countries' politics, that we shouldn't give our input because there is no possible way to relate. Our "solutions" might not be the best way to solve the problem but it's a starting point. It's like a self-fulfilling prophesy. Because we can never achieve equality between genders, why should we even try? No! Any progress, as small as it may be, is still progress. We might not see it in our lifetime, but at least we strived for change.
Along with that argument, any perspective is valid. Even if we may not want to accept or agree, we, as students, are extremely privileged and we might not have the same perspective, but that doesn't mean we should not try to understand others. Our personal experiences, whether they be negative or positive, shape us and help us join the feminist conversation. Our negative experiences are the most valuable because those are the ones that makes us want to change. Like Stern said, "[she] [had] lived through a difficult time in [her] life" (Wibben 2011, p. 104) but that's what makes her angry. Like Swati said, that's what we need to make change, for us and for other women. So really, it is because we look to the future that we can start changing our present.

Maria Stern (174-197)

A brief summary of “Racism, sexism, classism, and much more: reading security-identity in marginalized sites” by Maria Stern (pg. 174-197)

            Maria Stern, in her article "Racism, sexism, classism, and much more: reading security-identity in marginalized sites," speaks about the insecurity of Mayan women marginalized by the Guatemalan elites and the Guatemalan state. Stern explains that, “In sum Mayan women’s insecurity [is] multiple, contingent, and defined in terms of their identity" (176). The Mayans that stern interviewed identified themselves as women, indigenous, and poor which showed their understanding of their identity as marginalized Guatemalan pseudo citizens. Even though Stern was only able to interview women that were political leaders due to their ability to read and co-author their narrative, there was a large consensus amongst them that they had been a part of a resistance that has lasted 500 years (192). The challenges faced by Stern in researching the plight of these women were being able to communicate effectively, while at the same time not exploiting their narratives, all while remembering and balancing her position of privilege.

By Maribel, Haley, and Alexandra 

Feminist Research: Methodology & Ethics

After an initial introduction to Feminist  International Relations/ Feminist Security Studies at our first seminar meeting, today we focused on what distinguishes feminist research in International Politics (and beyond), paying particular attention to feminist research ethics. Students read materials from the  following books:

• Ackerly, B. & True. J. (2010)  Doing Feminist Research in Political and Social Science. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Ackerly, B., Stern, M. & True. J. (2006) Feminist Methodologies for International Relations. Cambridge University Press.
• Wibben, A.T.R. (2011) Feminist Security Studies: A Narrative Approach. London: Routledge

... and, in groups, discussed different feminist research reports featured in Ackerly, Stern & True (2006). Summaries of the latter will be posted by the students themselves.