The Affiliation between Feminist Intellectual Paradigms in IPE and Post-positivism

Abstract

The development of feminist IPE theory has been profoundly influenced by new schools of thought that have emerged since the Second World War, and in turn has had an impact on the world’s political economy. The critique of positivism in particular has led to an increased emphasis on post-positivist theory, and this paper argues that post-positivist ideas are consistent with the developmental lineage of feminist IPE and have guided feminist IPE. Feminist theory represents a new research path that has added a gender perspective to the field of IPE. Feminist theory has developed over the course of a complex and long process. In the sphere of IPE, feminist theory has addressed issues ranging from a critique of the absence of female perspectives on gender inequality in international relations to an attempt to bring gender issues into the global sphere more broadly. Whether from an intellectual paradigm or epistemological perspective, experience and integration have been longstanding themes in feminism. This article examines the intimate links between feminist IPE theory and post-positivist theory, analyses the content of feminism’s existing paradigms and processes of knowledge construction, and explores the development , current status and limitations of feminist IPE theory.