21st Century Feminism: A Significant Role to Play in the Study of International Relations

Abstract

Feminist Theory began to gain attention in International Relations (IR) studies in the late 1980s, with women's rights no longer being ignored. Since then, more women have started to openly express their opinions on IR studies. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Feminism has increased the role that it has to play in the study of IR in the 21st Century. In the first section of the article, there will be a brief explanation of the background and standpoint of Feminism. Then, it will explain the perspective of Feminist Theory from different approaches. In the next section, the role of feminist scholars in IR will be analyzed. Christine Sylvester and Cynthia Enloe are two obvious scholars who have had an influence on IR. Then, this article will analyze the standpoint of Feminism on war and peace issues. In the following section, the Iraq War will be taken into account as a case study. Then, this article will analyze this case through realist, liberal and feminist lenses - to compare the different standpoints of each theory. Moving to the next section, it will discuss why Feminism has not long played a significant role in the study of IR. Then, in the conclusion, it will sum up the feminist role in IR, to establish whether it has played a significant role or not.