Contesting feminism/feminist contestations in debates on feminist foreign policy

Br�nnlund, Emma

Abstract

In April 2017, Saudi Arabia was elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Of the 54 UN members eligible to vote, 47 voted for Saudi Arabia to join, while 7 abstained. Sweden was one of the states that partook in the election process, however its Government initially refused to reveal how they voted.

The Swedish Social Democratic and Green coalition Government set out a new agenda of feminist foreign policy in 2015. The Saudi Arabia vote was followed by an outpour of criticism against the Swedish Government from politicians and political commentators. They argued that it was “hypocritical” of a feminist Government to welcome a country with “critical women’s rights records”, such as Saudi Arabia, to the CSW.

This paper analyses the debates surrounding the Swedish vote. Specifically, I explore how different understandings of feminism were conceptualised in these debates. By studying public statements by parliamentarians and opinion pieces in major newspapers, I propose that most of the criticism to the Saudi Arabia vote was based on feminist arguments. Yet, often the same critics were strong opponents to feminist foreign policy. This indicates a discursive centrality of feminism in Swedish politics, which simultaneously is continually contested.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: International Studies Association Annual Convention
• Start Date: Apr 4, 2018
• End Date: Apr 7, 2018
• Acceptance Date: Apr 4, 2018
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/869879
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : International Studies Association Annual Convention