Two smiling women participating at a diplomatic conference — Foto: Anna Rauchenberger

Re-gendering diplomacy

Why and how did official diplomacy become masculinized and practiced only by men? This is the core question motivating REGEND.

Themes

International politics is thoroughly gendered, as demonstrated by feminist scholarship over the last three decades. And the “higher” the politics, the stronger the masculinization.

Diplomacy is second only to the military in degree of masculinization. This masculinization of diplomacy is paradoxical, insofar as an archetypical gendering of societal relations posits a dichotomy between the male warrior and the female non-combatant. In fact, considering insights from gender studies, diplomacy appears closer to traits that have historically been associated with femininity. These include conversations over violence, listening rather than talking, and attention to norms of proper social interaction.

Indeed, non-violent interactions, listening and social skills are at the core of diplomatic protocol. The strong association of diplomacy with men is even more paradoxical when we acknowledge that until the 18th century, not only was there no established collective term for “diplomacy”, but women were active and acknowledged participants in negotiations, communication and representation, practices later considered at the core of diplomacy. Between the middle of the 17th century and the middle of the 19th century, however, women were forced out of official diplomacy.

Given diplomacy’s concern with peaceful interactions, listening and sociality, and given women’s historical importance in such international interactions, why and how did official diplomacy become masculinized and practiced only by men? This is the core question motivating REGEND. This question is important for our historical understanding of the institution of diplomacy, but it is also central for our understanding of the contemporary gendering and re-inclusion of women into diplomacy. In addressing this question, the project brings feminist scholarship in a systematic way to Historical International Relations, while also historicising feminist studies of international relations and diplomacy.

External project pariticipants are Eirinn Larsen (Oslo), Bahar Rumelili (Koc, Istanbul), and Ann Towns (Gothenburg). Towns is the project leader for the entire project.

The project is funded på the Research Council of Norway (RCN).