Editors: Sandra Biskupski-Mujanovic (University of Waterloo), Veronica Kitchen (University of Waterloo), Tanya Narozhna (University of Winnipeg)
Call:
We invite contributions to an edited volume exploring the complex and evolving relationship between gender and national security. At a time when international commitments to gender equality are being eroded in some contexts but strengthened in others, this volume seeks to examine how national security politics and policies intersect with feminist ideas and practices.
The definition of national security has largely been shaped by realist theories/perspectives that centre national sovereignty, statecraft, and military defence against external threats. These conceptualizations have been at odds with non-traditional conceptions of security, including human security and feminist paradigms. Feminists have used gender as a key analytical category and have recognized gender as embedded in power relationships that sustain social hierarchies and shape the theories and practices of security. Feminist scholars have long interrogated the core concepts of security itself, as well as war, violence, terrorism, peace, state, sovereignty, and power. In doing so, they have put embodied subjects and their everyday experiences at the center of their investigations, unearthing the gender blindness or hyper-masculine bias of national security in realist terms. They have brought to light new marginalized subjects of security, recast the meaning of security, and expanded the scope of security. As feminists render problematic what is taken for granted in mainstream security discourse, in many ways, feminist and realist approaches to security appear irreconcilable. However, following Sjoberg’s method of ‘constructive engagement’ (2009), this volume seeks to explore points of intersection, friction, and transformation between national security and gender.
We welcome contributions that critically examine how gender is integrated or resisted within national security policies and practices. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
We welcome contributions that critically examine how gender is integrated or resisted within national security policies and practices. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
· Feminist Foreign Policies and/or National Action Plans (NAPs) on Women, Peace and Security and their relation to national security
· Gender mainstreaming in defence and security institutions
· Backlash to gender equality initiatives in national security contexts
· Resistance to gendering national security in authoritarian states as well as states where there is increasing erosion of democratic norms and concentration of executive power
· Shifts in the relationship between gender and national security across governments or over time
· Theoretical reflections on the compatibility (or incompatibility) of feminist and realist security frameworks
We aim to compile diverse perspectives and encourage submissions from scholars at all career stages, Indigenous perspectives, and Global South perspectives.
Submission instructions:
If you would like to submit a proposal, please send the following information to Sandra Biskupski-Mujanovic at sbiskups@uwaterloo.ca by July 15, 2025:
· Proposed title
· Author name, affiliation and a short bio (100 words or less)
· Abstract (200-300 words)
Tentative Timeline
· July 15, 2025: Chapter proposals due
· Mid-August 2025: Notifications to authors & feedback on chapter proposals will be shared
· Mid-October 2025: Submission of first chapter drafts
· Mid-November 2025: Editorial feedback and revision guidance will be shared
· January 2026: Final revised chapters due
· Early 2026: Submission of the complete manuscript to the publisher (TBD
