American diplomacy and gender: how women make US foreign policy (RDF17/SS/HAACK)

Despite comparatively low representation of women in US politics and Hillary Clinton’s second unsuccessful bid for the US presidencey, American foreign policy and diplomacy of the last twenty years has been dominated by women. This includes Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton at the State department, and Madeleine Albright, Susan Rice and Samantha Power at the UN.

Given the US’ role as the world’s superpower, the appointment of women to these roles is surprising as gender research has noted that the association of women with power is inverse to the importance of the role – the more important and powerful the role, the less likely women tend to be seen as appropriate. In this context, it can be asked whether the feminisation of foreign policy may be seen by other states as a sign of weakening US power. If this is the case, why do both Republic and Democrat presidents choose to appoint women to these prominent roles? Once in office, how, if at all, do these women define and re-define the US’ image and role abroad, and indeed at home?

Conversely, it can be argued that the US assumes a vanguard role in appointing women to foreign policy roles, modelling gender equality globally. For example, Clinton’s appointment to State had seen a mirroring effect among states, leading to an increased number of appointments of women ambassadors to Washington DC. If the increased presence of women matters, how do women contribute to the development and implementation of US foreign policy? To what extent do we see a feminist foreign policy emerging and shaping US foreign policy?

Existing research in History and International Relations remains confined to individual women’s participation (up to) the 1980s, while significant changes in women’s participation in foreign and international policy have only taken place in the 1990s and importanly since 2000. Given the potential to explore this new and developing area of research, prospective students may submit project proposals that adress this topic broadly and with individually chosen focus and methodological approach.

Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required (evidence required by 1 August 2017).

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please ensure you quote the advert reference above on your application form.
Deadline for applications: 20 January 2017
Start Date: 2 October 2017

Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.