Gender and politics research in Europe: towards a consolidation of a fourishing political science subfeld?

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the feld of “gender and politics” has fourished in European political science. An example of this is the growing number of “gender and politics” scholars and the increased attention paid to gender perspectives in the study of the political. Against this backdrop, we take stock of how the “gender and politics” feld has developed over the years. We argue that the feld has now entered a stage of “consolidation”, which is refected in the growth, diversifcation and professionalization of the subfeld, as well as in the increased disciplinary recognition from major gatekeepers in political science. But while consolidation comes with specifc opportunities, it also presents some key challenges. We identify fve such challenges: (1) the potential fragmentation of the feld; (2) persisting hierarchies in knowledge production; (3) the continued marginalization of feminist political analysis in “mainstream” political science; (4) the changing link between academia and society; and (5) growing opposition to gender studies in parts of Europe and beyond. We argue that both the “gender and politics” feld and political science in general should address these challenges in order to become a truly inclusive discipline.