Returning to the root: Radical feminist thought and feminist theories of International Relations

• Published in: Review of international studies Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 357 - 375
• Main Authors: Duriesmith, David, Meger, Sara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Citations; Discourse; Feminism; Feminist theory; Gender; Heterosexuality; International relations; Oppression; Patriarchy; Political action; Politics; Radicalism; Sex roles; Textbooks; Theory; Women; International Relations; Discourse; Radical Feminism; Feminism; International Theory; Citational Practices
• ISSN: 0260-2105; 1469-9044
• DOI: 10.1017/S0260210520000133

Feminist International Relations (IR) theory is haunted by a radical feminist ghost. From Enloe's suggestion that the personal is both political and international, often seen as the foundation of feminist IR, feminist IR scholarship has been built on the intellectual contributions of a body of theory it has long left for dead. Though Enloe's sentiment directly references the Hanisch's radical feminist rallying call, there is little direct engagement with the radical feminist thinkers who popularised the sentiment in IR. Rather, since its inception, the field has been built on radical feminist thought it has left for dead. This has left feminist IR troubled by its radical feminist roots and the conceptual baggage that feminist IR has unreflectively carried from second-wave feminism into its contemporary scholarship. By returning to the roots of radical feminism we believe IR can gain valuable insights regarding the system of sex-class oppression, the central role of heterosexuality in maintaining this system, and the feminist case for revolutionary political action in order to dismantle it.