Representation Of The Feminist Perspectives In Pakistan’s Political Science Academia

Abstract

The feminist perspectives entered the field of Political Science/ International Relations during the 1980s as part of the larger critical turn in Social Sciences. The marginalization of women’s role and voices in mainstream academic discourse of war and peace remained a key concern of the Political Science/IR feminist perspectives. The current study uses insights from Sandra Harding’s standpoint theory to explore how the feminist perspectives are represented in the Political Science/International Relations academia of Pakistan. This paper undertakes a systematic review of leading (HEC recognized) journals of IR and Political Science in Pakistan, to examine if and how the feminist perspectives is represented in Pakistani International Relations discourse. Since local academic discourses are underrepresented in the largely Eurocentric discipline of Political Science/IR, this study will contribute towards a better understanding of representation on a key critical academic perspective ( Feminism) in Political Science/IR. The results of the study show that feminist perspectives are marginalized in local academia in terms of representation. Serious efforts are required to promote academic research and development in this field with the support of the Government, academic institutions and researchers.