Womanhood & International Relations

Is it possible that world leaders today may be exhibiting, numbing or inflicting individual and/or collective pain in domestic or foreign policies? What is the connection between pain, power and transnational feminism? What causes the disconnection of seeing pain only as a personal experience instead of it being, also, a collective one? Have Individuals or States engaged in life-draining instead of life-sustaining decisions? Which economic/cultural/religious systems weaponize pain and which others prioritize wellbeing for Humans & Earth sustainable evolution? An interview with Dr. L. Ayu Saraswati, professor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Hawai`i and author of "Scarred: A Feminist Journey Through Pain" (2023), and "Seeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia" (2024). Listen to related episodes: Recommended links Dr. Saraswati Official Website Scarred: A Feminist Journey Through PainSeeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational IndonesiaWhy Beauty Matters to the Postcolonial Nation's Masters: Reading Narratives of Female Beauty in Pramoedya's Buru TetralogyCosmopolitan Whiteness: The Effects and Affects of Skin-Whitening Advertisements in a Transnational Women’s Magazine in IndonesiaHow Emotion Rules Social Media

Is the media coverage of foreign policy focusing on states’ behavior to, purposely, dehumanize people? How mainstream, traditional and social media coverages of international conflicts are influenced by and/or can influence too: People, States & Systems? How complex is the experience of covering human rights violations, defense and protection? Can media coverages of human rights violations and mass crimes vary depending on the diplomatic, economic, religious and cultural ties of the countries’ news companies, journalists and editors are from, based on or respond to? Are states foregoing Humanitarian Intervention and R2P mechanisms because economic, diplomatic and religious ties with private or third party actors triumph over, or come at the expense of, the suffering of “other” people? Which human stories of conflict, justice, peace and memory become top news and why others aren’t? Where are these stories being told and who is paying attention, ridiculing, ignoring or censuring them? A Spanish-language interview with Marta Saiz, freelance human rights journalist with more than a decade of experience covering conflict, migration and human rights stories in Iran, Greece, Palestine, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay; winner of the 2021 Premio de periodismo de migración laboral of the International Labour Organization. Listen to related episodes Recommended links https://linktr.ee/martasaizhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/marta-saiz/Luana Malheiro: “En Brasil, la guerra contra las drogas es contra las personas pobres y negras”Chile: “El amor y la solidaridad entre mujeres fue clave para sobrevivir”Las rebeldes de IránLesbos, vivir en la desembocadura del horror y la guerraCasa Frida, un espacio seguro para migrantes LGBTIQ+ en MéxicoEl teatro como herramienta de resistencia en Palestina Cuidar la tierra para cuidar la vida: la resistencia de las mujeres rurales en Palestina​Cuando salir del armario (en Honduras) significa rechazo, violencia, ruptura con el hogar y muerteVictoria Sandino: "Toda mi vida he sido rebelde"

Have individuals and states outgrown the current international systems? Is the international political system not meant for states to grow unlimited within it or...to grow outside of it? What if 20th century norms and rules created by international community institutions (and by certain state and non-state actors) were and are limiting humans and states' evolution? What is the current World Order? Are we already in a "New" World Order? Or are we living through a... World Disorder? Are modern states and non-state actors, leaders and institutions creating new forms of "order" without sharing values and interest in *agreed* relation? How comfortable are we with uncertainty and disorder? Do humans aspire for or resist order? Do humans actually, crave for or are preconditioned to desire, disorder to be the norm? Join us in this new exploration (with practical exercise!) and follow us on social media @womanhood_ir in LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Listen to related episodes: Recommended links: Anarchy is what States Make of it: The Social Construction of Power PoliticsConstructing International PoliticsA brief overview of Alexander Wendt's ConstructivismE.H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau, and International LawThe New World DisorderThe risk of world disorderThe New World DisorderChina’s New World OrderDecoding Putin and Xi's blueprint for a new world order Redrawing the global order

How free are Women in Politics? When does personal agency or identity can get lost in the launch and execution of political campaigns? What weighs more in the road to election: personal reasons, collective pressures/promises or a combination of both? With the rise of female candidates running for presidential positions in different countries, what's the ratio of commitment to serve the people vs. the interests of corporations, donors and campaign backers? Just as subjects can become political, what if staying too long in positions of political power strips elected officials from their own personal identity? Who are they or who they can be without... "Politics"? And is this possible crisis of personal identity a reason why they may "cling" to "power"? A review of the TV series The Queenmaker. Join the exploration, you can follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram @womanhood_ir Listen to related episodes: Recommended links: The QueenmakerThe Good, the Bad and the Different: Can Gender Quotas Raise the Quality of Politicians?Women Political Leaders: The Impact of Gender on DemocracyGender bias and women’s political performanceHandbook on promoting women’s participation in political partiesWomen and Political Leadership Ahead of the US 2024 Election Quiénes son Claudia Sheinbaum y Xóchitl Gálvez, las dos aspirantes a convertirse en la primera presidenta de México

What stories do our bodies tell? How can music and dance forms help people communicate with their inner selves and each other? How our body language may be signaling our oppression or liberation of mental, cultural or social conditionings? Why is Belly Dancing seen as a popular and powerful dance style? How its evolution throughout time showcased the intersection between West and East gazes? In which ways mindful art performances educate audiences or societies to rethink prejudices and stereotypes on women's and people's bodies? An interview with Alexandra Molina and Valerick Molinary, founders of the multimedia production and theater company Belly Dance Stories. Listen to related episodes: Recommended links to this episode: Belly Dance Stories WebsiteBelly Dance Stories PodcastBelly Dance Stories InstagramBelly Dance Stories YoutubeAlexandra Molina InstagramValerick Molinary InstagramThe Political Potential of Belly DanceGrandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly DancingBellydancing, Activism and the Politics of PleasureOn the Identity Politics of Belly Dancing

Does the survival of states (and their relations) ultimately come at the expense of the survival of our (& other) people? A practical exercise episode for Feminist Perspectives and IR Analysis for whoever is interested in understanding current world affairs. Listen to related episodes

How are we reacting to watching wars unfold on traditional news media and social media? What role does mis/dis/information play in our response or disregard of international conflicts? Listen to related episodes Recommended links What is social media warfare? Why Social Media Is the New Weapon in Modern WarfareThe Social MediaThe Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political CrisisDon’t blame social media for the fog of warDisinformation and Hate Speech on Social Media Contribute to Inciting War Crimes Against GazaChanging Sources: Social Media Activity During Civil WarRussia, Ukraine, and Social Media and Messaging AppsThe fog of war envelops social mediaHow Social Media Is Changing ConflictThis War Shows Just How Broken Social Media Has BecomeWelcome to the Post-Truth EraWatching War Unfold on Social Media Affects Your Mental Health

On International Day of the Girl, what are some of the key issues affecting girl’s education in Ivory Coast? Why Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education is important for the current and next generation of young leaders in your country and region? An interview with Sylvie Tanflotien, president of Ameri-STEAM. Recommended links of this episode: Ameri-STEAM WebsiteGo Fund Me Fundraiser: Ameri-Steam girls coding & leadership bootcamp

Part II- Power Revisited IG Limited Series Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir and support our work on Patreon http://patreon.com/womanhoodir BRICS Information PortalInformation of BRICS - Russia ⁠Infographics | Explaining the BRICS expansion⁠BRICS Expansion: Challenging Western DominanceOPEC and maximum production: What is sustainable? Agreement on the Eastern Section of the Boundary between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People's Republic of China (1991 Sino-Soviet Border Agreement)Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian FederationRussia and China Unveil a Pact Against America and the WestRussia-China ties enter ‘new era’ as Xi meets Putin in MoscowBRICS Expansion Could Help Egypt’s Ailing EconomyExplainer: Four key benefits for Egypt as a member of BRICSEthiopia’s Membership Of BRICS: Consequences and Prospects How Egypt and Ethiopia joining Brics could help boost China’s influence in AfricaBrics: por qué la Argentina ingresa al grupo de países de economías emergentesLos pros y contras del ingreso de Argentina a los BRICS

How the political climate of countries can hinder or facilitate conflict resolution or peace efforts? When did the concept of "peace" become a political tool for winning or losing a presidential elections in Colombia? Can the new 'Total Peace' plan pave the way for transitional or transformational justice? How have Conflict-Related Sexual Violence cases within rebel groups such as the FARC been addressed in transitional justice mechanisms? Who are the 'ideal victims' for the State or the special judicial systems? How can reparations for sexual violence victims include a gender perspective? An interview with Daniela Suárez Vargas is a PhD student in Law at Queen’s University Belfast (UK), a scholar of the AHRC Northern Bridge Consortium’s doctoral training programme (UK), and a qualified lawyer in Colombia. Her PhD project analyses how legal narratives of the "ideal victim" of sexual violence impact the recognition of victim status for women fighters who experienced such violence within their own armed group. Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir and support our work on Patreon http://patreon.com/womanhoodir Listen to related episodes: Recommended links to this episode: Daniela Suarez QUB ProfileDaniela Suarez TwitterThe Role and Responsibilities of Non-State Actors in Transitional JusticeAre girls under the age of 15, who are taken as wives or partners by members of an armed group participating in a non-international armed conflict, protected from sexual violence perpetrated against them by their partners or by other members of the armed group to which they belong?MÁS ALLÁ DEL SILENCIO Y EL ESTIGMA: reparaciones con perspectiva de género para víctimas de violencia sexual en programas domésticos de reparación (Daniela Suárez was a collaborator for the Spanish translation of this report)Daniela Suárez Vargas and Rachel Killean (2023) “Women’s Experiences of Environmental Harm in Colombia: Learning from Black, Decolonial and Indigenous Communitarian Feminisms” in Gendering Green Criminology.Lawpod PhD Series Episode. “Colombian transitional justice narratives of criminalisation and victimhood in the context of sexual violence within armed groups” Comisión de la Verdad de Colombia (2022), Mi cuerpo es la verdad (Reporte Final)

Part I - Power Revisited IG Limited Series Watch the full IG Live Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn @womanhood_ir and support our work on Patreon http://patreon.com/womanhoodir Recommended links to this episode: Download UN New Agenda for Peace Download 1992 Agenda for PeaceUN chief says the world is in a new era marked by the highest major power competition in decades‘Reform or rupture’ says Guterres, calling for multilateralism to be remade for the 21st centuryTen Challenges for the UN in 2023-2024SaferWorld Voices for Peace Podcast: What's Next for the New Agenda for PeaceUN Security Council terminates Mali peacekeeping missionThe Role of African Multilateralism in the New Agenda for PeaceCongo’s president wants the large UN peacekeeping mission to start leaving the country this yearWhat Future for UN Peacekeeping in Africa after Mali Shutters Its Mission?A corporate takeover of the UN must be stoppedGlobal south thwarts UN future summit plansThe Future of Multilateralism

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 Listen to related episodes: Recommended links to this episode: To Care for Peace: A Global Mandate to Secure the Second Human Evolution in Perpetuity (Book)Care for Peace WebsiteThe Heart of Care for Peace

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 Listen to related episodes: Recommended readings of this episode: Inclusive Justice in The GambiaGlobal Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation⁠International Coalition of Sites of ConscienceFrom "Gender Sensitive" Transitional Justice to Gender InclusivityThe Role of Psychosocial Support in Building Healthy, Resilient Communities in AfricaGambia: Commission Uncovers Ex-Dictator’s Alleged Crimes Women’s Experiences of Dictatorship in the Gambia

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. Listen to related episodes: Recommended readings of this episode: Global Campaign for Dalit Women Official WebsiteGlobal Campaign for Dalit Women ProgramsGCDW Instagram⁠Christina Dhanuja Official Website⁠Annihilation of Caste: The Annotated Critical EditionThe Internationalisation of CasteThe Dalit: Born into a life of discrimination and stigmaAttacks on Dalit Women: A Pattern of ImpunityHathras case: Dalit women are among the most oppressed in the worldThe Rape Of India’s Dalit Women And Girls

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. Listen to related episodes: Recommended readings of this episode: Measuring a macho personality constellationWomen's Intentions Regarding, and Acceptance of, Self-Sexualizing BehaviorHyperfeminity and body-related constructsCharacteristics of the Hyper-masculine CultureHyperfeminity: Measurement and Initial Validation of the ConstructIt’s A Man’s World: The Worrying Trend of Hyper-Masculinity in World Leaders‘Diplomacy is a feminine art’: Feminised figurations of the diplomatTrump Has Weaponized Masculinity As President. Here's Why It MattersAnti-Western and hyper macho, Putin’s appeal in Southeast Asia⁠Taliban bans women’s beauty parlours in Afghanistan'We Won't Be Silenced,' Afghan Female Musicians Tell TalibanGendering Human Security in Afghanistan

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. Listen to related episodes: Recommended links of this episode: Centre for Information Resilience Official WebsiteMyanmar WitnessAfghan WitnessEyes on RussiaReflecting on Five Years of Work on Gendered DisinformationDigital Battlegrounds: Politically motivated abuse of Myanmar women online

Is diplomacy a world of political favors? Do diplomats hold conditional "power" in personal friendships and state alliances? Is this power symbolic, cultural or merely decorative or performative for specific circles (party elites, lobbies, etc) or media circus? Can the role of ambassadors and diplomatic missions deactivate when Realism kicks in the minds of political leaders for power control and state survival? What is the purpose of state ambassadors in times of crisis? Do soft power, discourses and negotiations mostly thrive when Liberalist Theory is the cornerstone of government administrations, foreign policy models and the languages, behaviors and actions that follow? A review on The Diplomat (2023) TV Series. Join us in this exploration, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn @womanhood_ir Listen to related episodes: 102. The Matrix Trilogy - What Can We Learn From It? 103. Patriarchy & The Triad of Men's Violence 113. #SHEcurity Index 2021 - A Review 155. Borgen: Power & Glory

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. Listen to related episodes: Recommended links and readings: The Care Economy Knowledge HubThe Care Economy Knowledge Hub Business MappingInvesting in the care economy for a feminist economic transition and a quadruple winBuilding a feminist, decolonized research approach during COVID: what we learned and unlearnedSustainable Inclusive Economies

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 . Listen to related episodes: Recommended links of this episode: Helena Monzon's Twitter¿Qué plantea la Ley Monzón y quién la inspiró?Aprueban en Puebla "Ley Monzón"; le quita la patria potestad a feminicidasExile after the femicide: this is how Cecilia Monzon’s family fled from MexicoLey Monzón Instagram

Has the patriarchal mindset affected the way we portray ourselves, value knowledge and create or sustain work environments in the IR field? Are we aware of the set of formal or informal rules of engagement we must follow personally or collectively to be perceived as "good professionals" in this or other fields? Do our postures, speech and behaviors change to "fit in" certain masculine/male dominated/logic spaces or environments? Or do we remain consistent across the spaces, environments and social circles? If so or if not, why? Do we value more knowledge taught in masculine/logic spaces such as universities and think tanks rather than knowledge taught in feminine/intuitive spaces such as community circles or tribes? Do we want the latter to be cheap or free because "we cannot do anything with it"? How is the patriarchal and capitalist systems affecting our perception of knowledge value? 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. Listen to related episodes: