Feminist scholarship, bridge-building and political affinity

Eschle, C. and Maiguashca, Bice (2009) Feminist scholarship, bridge-building and political affinity. International Relations, 23 (1). pp. 127-134. ISSN 0047-1178 (https://doi.org/10.1177/0047117808100618)

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Abstract

In this short essay we consider, first, the reasons why feminist IR academics should seek to build bridges with each other, with other academics and with those outside the university. Second, we develop some tentative guidelines for how we should go about the task of bridge-building, drawing on our research into feminist activism at the World Social Forum. Our intention in so doing is not to reinforce what we have elsewhere criticised as a false dichotomy between activists and academics, but rather to locate feminist IR scholars within a wider feminist community and their work within a shared political project. This paper could thus be seen as a form of bridge building in and of itself. Along the way, we hope to draw out some of the problems of and boundaries to coalition politics for feminist IR academics, thus contributing to a dialogue on the possible 'limits' of bridge-building from a feminist perspective.

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