Gender-Based Disciplinary and Professional Specialization in International Relations
This article explores the gendered aspect of disciplinary and professional specialization in International Relations and the means through which perceptions of competency and knowledge are reproduced. It is based on a discourse analysis of statements by participants in the 2015 Canadian workshop of Women in International Security (Wiis-Canada) as well as my own experience as organizer of that event. One key topic dealt with by participants was the issue of professional voice – who acquires it, how is it fostered or hampered, and what happens when it’s silenced ? As junior scholars attempt to reconcile their academic approaches with their nascent academic identities, a professional transition occurs. Without an inclusive dialogue about our research models and critical methods, any ontological or epistemological inroads made at events like the Wiis-Canada workshop may well prove shallow.