Womanhood & International Relations

Part I - Power Revisited IG Limited Series

Are we stuck in a Suspended Human Evolution? Is it preventing us to develop a process to "Care for Peace" at a global scale? What can we learn from healthcare professionals to understand this concept from an individual to a systemic level?

Why the Mutual Assured Destruction in the early 1960s meant the end of the First Human Evolution? And how can we launch the Second one in this decade?

On International Peace Day 2023, the call to rethink the international system to prevent or intervene in growing conflicts and insecurity challenges is expanding in different power circles from governments, IR and Peace fields to feminist, environmental, societal and spiritual ones.

How are we each contributing to our race or Planet extinction or... to the quest for long lasting peace?

An interview with Jeff Hardy, International Healthcare Facility Futurist and Planner and Author of "To Care for Peace: A Global Mandate to Secure the Second Human Evolution in Perpetuity."

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir and support our work on Patreon http://patreon.com/womanhoodir

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• 24. Kimberly Loh on Compassionate Conversations and Conflict Resolution
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How cultures of fear and silence may affect the way post-conflict societies relate to transitional justice and peace processes? What's been the role women have played in the TRRC in The Gambia?

How has the implementation of women-only listening circles and safe spaces helped build trust, support and justice to those who have been excluded, abused or silenced for so long?

An interview with Ereshnee Naidu-Silverman, Senior Director for the Global Transitional Justice Initiative.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir and support our work on Patreon http://patreon.com/womanhoodir

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What is the caste system and why it still continues nowadays in India?Dalit women and girls are placed at the bottom of the caste system, why is it so? What are some cultural or religious norms negatively affecting Dalit and Adivasis women and girls? How do they differ from castes in Northern India?

Despite all the domestic and international human rights laws focusing on protecting caste marginalized communities, why structural violence and sexual violence persists against them? How can States work through "reforming" centuries old societal/economic/religious organization systems to "fit" current times?

Are there limits to what "States" can do to ensure inter communal violence doesn't occur? What if there are "non-negotiables" for societal and ethnic organizations, different than states structures, depending on a country's history?

An interview with Christina Dhanuja, Convenor of the Global Campaign for Dalit Women and co-founder of the #DalitHistoryMonth project.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir.

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• 50. Postcolonial Feminism 101 - Which Women's Experiences Do We Know More About?
• 149. Kirthi Jayakumar on Anticolonialism in International Relations
• 151. Dr. Luke Moffett on Reparations in Post-Conflict Societies
• 159. Dr. Shraddha Kale Kapile on Menstrual Health, Hygiene & Education in Mumbai Slums

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We may have been taught the study of International Relations in a logical way as if there were no underlying energies, emotions and desires in the behaviors and relations between states but, that time, has come to an end.

What kind of energies lie beneath domestic and foreign policies? Are states striving for balance or moving towards the extremes of hypermasculinity or hyperfemininity? How are these two concepts influencing their decision-making? How is the intersection between individual thought/emotion/will, social/racial/gender/environmental movements, nations and cultures affecting the structures of States and their relations with others?

Why some domestic or foreign policies thrive or fall because of their excess or lack of "energy" behind them?

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir.

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How can we build information resilience amidst so many digital battlegrounds, misinformation and gendered disinformation campaigns influencing political, social and armed conflicts around the world?

Why have digital battlegrounds and disinformation campaigns particularly targeted female activists in Myanmar after the 2021 military coup? How has the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan increased online/offline threats to NGOs and civilians reporting human rights violations? In which ways the Ukraine-Russia conflict has showcased the importance of open source data verification projects to document human rights abuses and war crimes? How can social media platforms regulate and prevent online abuse, harrasment and gendered disinformation that could lead to more domestic/international conflicts?

An interview with Rachel Winny, Technical Director at the Centre for Information Resilience.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir.

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The COVID-19 pandemic hit the global economy in unprecedented ways, marking a new wave of interest in the design of healthier and alternative economic systems for the benefit of People and Planet. Unpaid domestic work and the care crisis has been big areas of concern amongst scholars and activists studying and advocating for Feminist Economics principles, how can theory and praxis of the care economy help clear the knowledge gap between the public, private and civil sectors?

What is the care economy and why its past and present organization is creating a structural barrier limiting women's economic participation? How has climate change exacerbated the care crisis? In which ways the private sector is helping solve the care crisis in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia? Since there are pink washing dynamics in gender lens investments and philanthropy initiatives, how could a "well-executed" care economy lens change the future of investments, businesses and markets? 

An interview with Dr. Carolina Robino and Dr. Rebecca Calder, partners of The Care Economy Knowledge Hub.

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Cecilia Monzón's femicide in 2022 shocked thousands of people in Mexico. The public outcry for justice for her and the many mothers who were and still are victims of gender based violence perpetrated by their current or former partners led to several activist campaigns and the proposal of laws including the Monzon's Law or Ley de Monzón.

What is Cecilia's story and what was her feminist fight? In a country with one of the highest rates of femicides in the Latin American region, what is the importance of gender perspectives in Law? How is institutional gender violence revictimizing victims and their families while favoring perpetrators of crimes? What can we learn from the human rights and children rights dimensions of Cecilia's case? Why are feminist collectives so important in the quest for justice and prevention of GBV?

An interview with Helena Monzón Pérez, Lawyer and sister of Cecilia Monzón.

A special thank you to Cecilia Ibarra and the members of Colectiva Insurrectas for helping make this interview possible.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir .

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What are some ways to address Menstrual Health, Hygiene and Education that could enable societies and governments to reduce shame and stigma? How can sensitization training for schools and healthcare professionals, the engagement with local leaders and the rehabilitation and adaptation of WASH facilities could help create inclusive menstrual health management?  Why is MHHE often overlooked within the context of development? What are the cultural, religious and policy budget shifts happening due to WASH programs in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Pakistan?

To commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023, we feature an interview with Nicole Dagher, Program Manager at Water Aid Canada.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn @womanhood_ir 

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• 158. Carolina Ramírez on Decolonizing Menstrual Hygiene & Education in Latin America
• 159. Dr. Shraddha Kale Kapile on Menstrual Health, Hygiene & Education in Mumbai Slums

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What are the menstrual realities of young girls, women and menstruating people living in Mumbai Slums? How are religions, economics, customs and traditions directly or indirectly influencing or perpetuating menstrual shame and stigma in this city? How can science, education, economic empowerment opportunities and health clinics help offer pathways of menstrual dignity to vulnerable populations?

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023, we feature an interview with Dr. Shraddha Kale Kapile, Senior Program Manager at Myna Mahila Foundation.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn @womanhood_ir 

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• 158. Carolina Ramírez on Decolonizing Menstrual Hygiene & Education in Latin America

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What is the colonial history of menstrual health, hygiene and education in Latin America? How important is the language used in family settings, schools, business ads, health clinics and government policies to reproduce or reduce the menstrual shame and stigma that is passed on through generations? Why words such as "hygiene", "poverty" and "purification" are used by international development agendas to address menstruation as a "sanitation crises" in the Global South? What needs to change in the local and international approach to decolonize menstrual health, hygiene and education in this region?

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023, we feature a Spanish-language interview with Psychologist Carolina Ramirez, founder of Princesas Menstruantes, Escuela de Educación Emancipadas and Coordinator of Encuentro Latinoamericano de Educación, Salud y Activismos Menstruales.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn @womanhood_ir 

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• 157. Kat Plouffe on Launching a Sustainable Period Startup
• 159. Dr. Shraddha Kale on Menstrual Health, Hygiene & Education in Mumbai's Slums

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Amidst talks on the Menstrual Equity Fund in Canada, how challenging is to launch a sustainable menstrual hygiene small-business? What are the biggest opportunities and struggles female entrepreneurs face when entering the market, often flooded by synthetic and cheap products from big corporations? What are the main criticisms and successes of choosing sustainable sourcing, manufacturing and distribution? How are plastic-free and rayon-free hygiene products good for people's health and the environment?

On World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023, we feature an interview with Kat Plouffe, founder of Only.

Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn @womanhood_ir 

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• 79. Menstrual Hygiene Day: Poverty, Culture and Sustainability
• 96. Danielle Keiser on COVID-19's Impact on Menstrual Health Education
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• 159. Dr. Shraddha Kale on Menstrual Health, Hygiene & Education in Mumbai's Slums

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How are we currently valuing women's presence, voices and expertise in traditional media and social media as fellow colleagues, readers, listeners or audience members? Has the patriarchal mindset and the predomination of male experts in the International Relations field affected the way we look and value women experts whether we agree with their IR analysis or not?

Are we aware of the set of beauty standards, cultural norms and behavior expectations we personally or collectively measure to define what a "good scholar" or a "good professional" should be, look or sound like?

What kind of struggles, insecurities, risks and/or structural barriers do women experts face in order to be recognized as "experts" or "legitimized" by their peers within this field? Why the criticism against women's experts in IR is mostly destructive criticism and not constructive? Is it possible to revalue or re-educate our gaze and value system in a nonviolent way?

This episode is a new exercise that builds on previous podcast explorations we have shared of how Feminist Theory in IR is connected to the embodied experience of people from different genders studying or working in various areas of Political Science.

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Are great powers (and personal powers') dynamics primal or developed?

A review and analysis of Borgen:Power & Glory Netflix Series.

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