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Gender Mainstreaming, Solidarity and Human Rights |
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Abstract:
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This paper asks whether or not the human rights movement should pursue a gender mainstreaming approach in both its principals and projects. It examines the efficacy of a gender mainstreaming approach by considering two different theoretical approaches to incorporating a gendered analysis into human rights work. The paper first examines why we need to acknowledge gender when thinking of both human rights principals and the practical projects and organizations that seek to enforce them. It then examines two different ways to do this: gender mainstreaming or the solidarity framework developed by Chandra Mohanty. The paper concludes by arguing that while theoretically the gender mainstreaming approach offers a positive contribution to human rights work, it is important to modify it by incorporating aspects of the critique developed by Mohanty. Building on critiques of the human rights movement developed by theorists such as Susan Okin and Makau Mutua, the paper begins by arguing that conceptions of universal human rights need to be buttressed by an understanding both of how women have often been excluded from human rights discourse, and how universals are developed within a limited Western discourse of civilization. To explore ways of answering these critiques, I first examine the gender mainstreaming approach that has been developed and implemented by many international organizations. In its attempt to bring the experiences, knowledge and conditions of women into the mainstream, the gender mainstreaming approach shares an obvious affinity with conceptions of universal human rights shared equally between men and women. It thus preserves the appeal to universalism that many in the human rights movement feel is crucial, while acknowledging gender difference. The potential costs of such an approach, however, are highlighted by postcolonial feminist theorists such as Chandra Mohanty and M. Jaquie Alexander who stress the dangers of taking a universalist and mainstreamed approach. They emphasize the often homogeneous representation of women in the developing world that get created through this approach, and also point to the normalizing effects of Western institutions, ideals and assumptions. This critique stresses the importance of a cautious approach to using a gender mainstreaming perspective in relation to human rights work. While not ignoring the benefits of this approach, developing a solidarity model for working with women across different cultures and regions is a necessary component of human rights theory. |
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Association:
Name: International Studies Association
URL: http://www.isanet.org
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Citation:
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MLA Citation:
| Trevenen, Kathryn. "Gender Mainstreaming, Solidarity and Human Rights" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii, Mar 05, 2005 <Not Available>. 2009-05-26 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p70059_index.html> |
APA Citation:
| Trevenen, K. , 2005-03-05 "Gender Mainstreaming, Solidarity and Human Rights" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii <Not Available>. 2009-05-26 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p70059_index.html |
Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper asks whether or not the human rights movement should pursue a gender mainstreaming approach in both its principals and projects. It examines the efficacy of a gender mainstreaming approach by considering two different theoretical approaches to incorporating a gendered analysis into human rights work. The paper first examines why we need to acknowledge gender when thinking of both human rights principals and the practical projects and organizations that seek to enforce them. It then examines two different ways to do this: gender mainstreaming or the solidarity framework developed by Chandra Mohanty. The paper concludes by arguing that while theoretically the gender mainstreaming approach offers a positive contribution to human rights work, it is important to modify it by incorporating aspects of the critique developed by Mohanty. Building on critiques of the human rights movement developed by theorists such as Susan Okin and Makau Mutua, the paper begins by arguing that conceptions of universal human rights need to be buttressed by an understanding both of how women have often been excluded from human rights discourse, and how universals are developed within a limited Western discourse of civilization. To explore ways of answering these critiques, I first examine the gender mainstreaming approach that has been developed and implemented by many international organizations. In its attempt to bring the experiences, knowledge and conditions of women into the mainstream, the gender mainstreaming approach shares an obvious affinity with conceptions of universal human rights shared equally between men and women. It thus preserves the appeal to universalism that many in the human rights movement feel is crucial, while acknowledging gender difference. The potential costs of such an approach, however, are highlighted by postcolonial feminist theorists such as Chandra Mohanty and M. Jaquie Alexander who stress the dangers of taking a universalist and mainstreamed approach. They emphasize the often homogeneous representation of women in the developing world that get created through this approach, and also point to the normalizing effects of Western institutions, ideals and assumptions. This critique stresses the importance of a cautious approach to using a gender mainstreaming perspective in relation to human rights work. While not ignoring the benefits of this approach, developing a solidarity model for working with women across different cultures and regions is a necessary component of human rights theory. |
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Similar Titles:
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