Introducing the Special Issue: Interview with Swati Parashar about Women and Feminism in Global Politics

Abstract

Gender issues and feminist studies are rare in Russian Political Science. This gap is surprising given the increasing international recognition of womens rights, as well as growing interest in mainstreaming gender equality norms and removing key obstacles to womens advancement. This special issue addresses this gap by bringing together studies that use feminist optics to examine a variety of political spaces, including those where feminism has not yet become an ideological mainstream. Presenting the contributions and the core ideas that unite them, we discussed with Professor Swati Parashar non-Western feminisms and problematic legacies of Western feminisms. Guiding our conversation were questions such as: What is feminism today? What is feminist foreign policy and what is its potential? In what ways can gender equality quotas contribute to the political empowerment of women? How can international organizations encourage diversity in womens representations from the Global South?

Keywords

• feminism
• gender studies
• women representation
• gender quotas
• non-western feminism
• feminist theory of international relations
• feminist foreign policy
• women
• peace and security agenda
• russian feminism
• power of silence