Discursive Constructions of State/Gender Relations

Abstract

Two tendencies currently inform feminist engagements with the state. On the one hand, an increasing number of scholars argue that the powers of the state have been transformed, and, more specifically, that they have declined. These arguments surface on feminist debates on globalisation and multi-level governance and underpin analyses of such issues as transnational prostitution, migration, international human rights and globalised service economy. On the other hand, sceptics argue that the state remains important, and that feminists are increasingly engaging with the state. Such engagements can be seen in debates about state feminism, gender mainstreaming and gender quotas, which focus on various aspects of the state. This panel calls all scholars to reflect upon the concept of the state underpinning their analyses. The panel asks where feminist state theory resides today. What is the state? How to study the state? How to analyse the recent institutional changes and their meaning for feminist scholars and activists? The panel welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers on the topic.

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