Political Knowledge, Gender Expertise and Policymaking in Germany: The Case of Gender Mainstreaming

The aim of this paper is to explore the interaction between gender, knowledge and policymaking in Germany. The analysis will explore the changes in the legal and institutional framework since 2000 and the transformation from women towards intersectionality and diversity. In contrast to various approaches in policy analysis, the aim is not primarily to account for the policy outcome, but rather to explore the embedment of policy processes in the communication and authorization of “legitimate” knowledge. In what ways has scientific expertise contributed to the shape of these political fields? What roles does gender research play in political knowledge production? Which institutional and epistemic mechanisms can account for the detected knowledge regime? The study relates to two research fields: feminist policy analysis and studies of scientific expertise in political decision-making processes, which in turn draw on concepts from Science and Technology Studies. By combining these two perspectives, the paper, which is part of a larger comparative project, will provide an innovative contribution to the analysis of gender politics. Political knowledge regimes are conceived as cross-border configurations that influence the generation, dissemination and evaluation of politically relevant and legitimate knowledge. The aim is to analyze how different types of knowledge are negotiated and translated in communicative processes, ranging from scientific, popular to tacit, under conditions that are characterized by a kind of paradox. On the one hand, scientific knowledge is increasingly important within state governance on the other hand, as a site of objectivity, certainty and impartiality scholarly knowledge has come under siege and lost its traditional status of relative autonomy and authority. A new reflexive and transgressive mode of knowledge production is identified, and not least represented by feminist and gender studies.