Politics, Gender, and Concepts: Theory and Methodology

Description

A critique of concepts has been central to feminist scholarship since its inception. However, while gender scholars have identified the analytical gaps in existing social science concepts, few have systematically mapped out a gendered approach to issues in political analysis and theory development. This volume addresses this important gap in the literature by exploring the methodology of concept construction and critique, which is a crucial step to disciplined empirical analysis, research design, causal explanations, and testing hypotheses. Leading gender and politics scholars use a common framework to discuss methodological issues in some of the core concepts of feminist research in political science, including representation, democracy, welfare state governance, and political participation. This is an invaluable work for researchers and students in women's studies and political science.

Gary Goertz teaches political science at the University of Arizona. He is the author or co-author of seven books and over forty articles on issues of international politics, methodology, and conflict studies, including Contexts of International Politics (Cambridge, 1994). Amy G. Mazur is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Washington State University. Focusing her research on comparative feminist policy issues, she has published numerous book chapters and articles and is author or editor of four books, including Theorizing Feminist Policy (2002).

'Politics, Gender and Concepts brings together two burgeoning fields - qualitative methods and gender politics research - in an indispensable volume that will be cited for years to come. Its comprehensive scope, accessibility and theoretical importance make it an essential handbook for graduate training.' Kira Sanbonmatsu, Department of Political Science, Rutgers University