Gender and International Security: Feminist Perspectives ed. by Laura Sjoberg (review)

I was introduced to the world of international relations (IR) during my senior year as an undergraduate in women's studies with an interest in public policy. I attended a training on women, leadership, and nuclear security and subsequently used Laura Sjoberg's book Gender and International Security: Feminist Perspectives for a couple of courses. I write this book review for two reasons— the first, to give a student's perspective and perhaps inspire feminist teachers to use this text in courses ranging from introductory women's studies to advanced policy. This book utilizes many theoretical lenses that could be applied to other fields, including research methodology, sociology, history, and environmental public health. The second reason for the review is to draw attention to gender, an often-overlooked consideration in the policy field. I will begin contextualizing the importance of the text within the feminist discipline and then review the benefits of utilizing this book in a feminist classroom.

In 2000 the United Nations adopted Resolution 1325, which acknowledged the effects of armed combat on the lives of women and the need to work within governmental systems to address areas of concern, including (but not limited) to a reduction of gender-based violence, disarmament, and the increase of female political participation in (re)developing nations. Although the year 2000 did not initiate feminist conversations regarding war, peace, and related liminal situations, it did mark a start of a global governmental dialogue addressing the implications of security policy on the lives of women and their families. What is missing in the mainstream conversation, however, is the "explicitly feminist" approach to understanding the construction and complexities of masculinity, femininity, and global security issues. This book intentionally builds and (de)constructs gender's roles in security. In addition to introducing the reader to important concepts in the IR field, the text interweaves foundational feminist works and theories from authors such as Judith Butler, Charlotte Hooper, and Catherine MacKinnon.

Sjoberg is assistant professor of political science at the University of Florida, and readers might know her other works, Gender, Justice, and the Wars in Iraq (2006) and Mothers, Monsters, Whores: Women's Violence in Global Politics (2007). Other standpoints are contributed from PhD candidates and professors of gender, international relations, political science, and "terrorism," in addition to a researcher from the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan and an associate director of the Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights. Sjoberg writes that the purpose of this book is to assemble the "best work by feminist scholars addressing the sub-field that International Relations (IR) labels 'Security Studies' or 'International Security'" (xvi). The book began at a 2007 workshop at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association and incorporated texts previously published in the journal Security Studies.

The first part, "Gendered Lenses Envision Security," is framed from three chapters. First, Professor Judith Hicks Stiehm writes a critical piece that draws attention to several themes, including citizen complacency, the (non)inclusiveness of military recruitment, and the importance of all change-makers knowing the body of literature that informs security design. It is not enough, therefore, to infuse women into the policy-making world if they are not equipped/empowered to have access to understanding the content of documents such as those published by the Department of Defense and the US National Security Policy Agency. Additionally, Stiehm claims "the limited view is not responsible" (23) and raises the questions of privilege allowing some women to advocate against the use of large-scale militaristic threats, whereas others, practically speaking, are more concerned about hand-to-hand combat because it is a daily reality in their lands. The next chapter offers insight into the role of previous traumas, influenced by masculinized events that led to grief and trauma, which continue to feed into the war and security sphere. The third chapter examines many aspects of masculinity, including specific examples of nations and their gendered (or lack thereof...