Introduction to Security Studies: Feminist Contributions

In this introduction, I provide a brief discussion of what it means to approach IR from a feminist perspective and a brief overview of questions of epistemology and method in feminist theorizing. I then give a summary of some of the accomplishments of and common themes in Feminist Security Studies to this point and situate feminist work in the larger field of Security Studies. Finally, I introduce the articles in this special issue as analyses of traditional issues in Security Studies through feminist lenses, explorations of the roles that women play in conflict and conflict resolution, and introductions of new or previously neglected issues to Security Studies as a result of taking gender seriously.