The workshop is designed to acquaint participants with diverse perspectives on feminist security policy, exploring both its possibilities and its inherent challenges. Specifically centered around Austrian security policy, the sessions will delve into its nuances through a feminist lens. Drawing from expert insights, attendees will engage in lively discussions within small groups, examining the topic from various angles and crafting actionable proposals for advancing a feminist approach to Austrian security policy.
Speakers
Stephanie Fenkart
has been Director of the International Institute for Peace in Vienna since 2016. She studied International Development at the University of Vienna and Human Rights at the Danube University Krems and is a member of the Strategic and Security Policy Advisory Board of the Austrian Armed Forces Science Commission, a board member of the NGO Committee for Peace in Vienna and Chair of the Board of the Balkan Forum in Pristina, Kosovo. She specialises in peace and security policy, European and foreign policy, arms control and disarmament as well as a regional focus on Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Together with Marylia Hushcha, she also hosts the podcast Peace Matters.
Madita Standke-Erdmann
is doing her PhD at the Department of War Studies at King's College London on colonial continuities in German foreign policy in India. Her research focuses on feminist and postcolonial international relations, global political economies, colonial history and feminist security studies. Previously, she worked as a research associate at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Vienna, where she conducted research on gender-based violence against refugee women. In this context, she worked in cooperation with the Austrian Institute for International Politics (oiip) on EU border policy and the United Nations Women, Peace and Security agenda. She is a women's representative and board member of the Working Group for Peace and Conflict Research Germany and has many years of experience in German and international feminist civil society.
Background
Workshop series Feminist Foreign Policy - Potentials & Reality
A cooperation project of VIDC Global Dialogue and WIDE
Since Sweden's announcement in 2014 of its intent to shape its foreign policy through a feminist lens, several nations have followed suit, including Canada, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and most recently, Germany, each with their own unique approaches. Just as feminism itself lacks a standardized definition, so too does feminist foreign policy. Fundamentally, it strives to blend human rights principles with peacebuilding efforts, aiming to foster gender equality and dismantle systems of international oppression and violence. However, translating theory into practice presents its challenges.
This workshop series seeks to illuminate the core tenets of feminist foreign policy and explore how foreign policy frameworks can authentically embody feminist principles. Through an examination of various domains within foreign policy—ranging from security and migration to climate, trade, and international cooperation—the workshops will employ a feminist perspective to identify actionable demands. These demands will serve as a foundation for civil society engagement, advocating for the development of a feminist approach to foreign and development policy within Austria.