A summary of the course Gender, diversity and Politics based on the slides and notes. Does not include guest lectures!
Passed in first exam session with 15/20
GENDER, DIVERSITY & POLITICS
1. Political Theory.......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................3
1.2 The Good Life..................................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Critical political theory....................................................................................................................................3
2. Civil Society and Social Movements............................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................5
A) Civil Society...................................................................................................................................................5
B) Social Movements........................................................................................................................................5
2.2 Intersectional Dynamics..................................................................................................................................6
a. What do you need to successfully mobilize?................................................................................................7
3. Political Ideologies..................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 What is an ideology?......................................................................................................................................8
3.2 Contemporary ideologies................................................................................................................................9
a. Patriarchy......................................................................................................................................................9
b. Neoliberalism................................................................................................................................................9
c. Democracy.....................................................................................................................................................9
d. Populism......................................................................................................................................................10
4. Legislatures & Executives......................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 Legislatures: intersectional perspective........................................................................................................11
a. Segregation.................................................................................................................................................11
b. Parliaments as a workplace........................................................................................................................11
4.2 Executives: intersectional perspective..........................................................................................................12
5. Political parties........................................................................................................................................ 14
5.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................14
a. History.........................................................................................................................................................14
b. Electorate: the case of gender....................................................................................................................14
c. Organization: the case of gender................................................................................................................14
d. Vehicle for change: parties as a political opportunity structure................................................................15
5.2 Parties and candidate selection....................................................................................................................16
a. Candidate selection: gender – ethnicity.....................................................................................................17
6. Policy....................................................................................................................................................... 18
6.1 Gender equality policies & policy on ‘women’s issues’.................................................................................18
a. Policies on women’s issues.........................................................................................................................18
b. Gender equality policy................................................................................................................................18
6.2 Gender/equalities/diversity/intersectionality mainstreaming.....................................................................18
a. Gender mainstreaming...............................................................................................................................18
b. Equalities/diversity/intersectionality mainstreaming................................................................................19
7. Political Presentation............................................................................................................................... 21
7.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................................21
7.2 Group representation...................................................................................................................................21
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, a. Why do we need group representation for disadvantaged groups?..........................................................21
b. How many representatives do we need in order to have change?............................................................21
c. Which groups?.............................................................................................................................................23
d. Will just any representative do?.................................................................................................................23
e. Is group representation enough?...............................................................................................................23
, 1. Political Theory
1.1 Introduction
Politics = resolving conflicts regarding who gets what, when and how
o what = immaterial (rights) & material (fe wage)
Politics is everywhere, pervades all human relations, not only in the formal institutions of politics
o formal: written rules of law making – informal: norms, values,.. (unwritten)
Political theory = normative of who should get what, when and how; how it should be – ‘the ideal’
o fe: who is entitled to ‘the good life’ and how should this be organized?
o = value based activity, therefore diverse results
fe equality as outcome: liberalism (equality in opportunities) vs socialism (equality in from
the start)
o context & time specific, therefore evolution
1.2 The Good Life
Who (dis)qualifies? Examples of how political theory has evolved:
o 17th C English; Locke: wealthy white men qualify because they are ‘rational and industrial’ & qualify to own land because of
traditional masculinity: they support their families
o 19th C English; Mill: also property-owning women right to vote because of their feminine characteristic and capacities (household
management skills)
o 19th C black; Cooper: black women’s resistance to oppression qualifies them for the good life because they have the capacity for
strategic, rational thought
o 20th C Deloria: native American’s familiarity with personality of objects qualifies them, not based on argument of ‘western
rationality’ but because of more inclusive ‘indian knowledge’
o 21th C Nussbaum: all qualify for basic human flourishing which requires reproductive rights
The state & intersectionality
o classic liberalism (Locke): small effective state with ‘just enough power to secure individual
freedom but not enough to threaten individual liberty and opportunity’ – equal opportunities to
fulfil material needs (minimal amounts of schooling)
o Marxism/communism: reject small state – state should meet the needs of the lower class; secure
services like transportation, schools, healthcare.. in order to have equality of social and eco
outcomes
black feminists Marxists critique class as main site of oppression (gendered and racialized)
o intersectionality is everywhere
Intersectionality is ‘everywhere’
o who is (dis)qualified for the good life: fe Locke who qualifies by class-gender-race
o what is needed in order to live the good life: fe Nussbaum: reproductive rights: gender-race
o how: the raison-d’être of the state: fe Jones: black women’s oppression: gender-race-class
o also in unexpected cases
fe Nussbaum: monogamous married life is superior – the one that middle class people in US,
UK & Canada practice
killing is influenced by patriarchy: boys are raised to be aggressive, fight,..
not only ... but also …
1.3 Critical political theory
Universal truths vs home truths: the role of outsiders/marginalized (gives insight on biases) & cognitive
dissonance (only taking information that fits with your belief system; not seeing the exclusion)
o universal truth = how they think it is, what you think is right
fe feminism: based on white women – but home truths: also WOC
o home truth = ‘ugly truth’; needs to be pointed out by outsiders
o fe Locke about who qualifies = was his universal truth
Exposes bias in political theory canon
o the ‘who’ and the ‘how’ involves matters of inclusion and exclusion
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