This paper uses a feminist lens to investigate to what extent feminist perspectives contribute to the understanding of contemporary security challenges. The concentration of this paper lies on human trafficking as a security challenge. While it is acknowledged that other security challenges exist, this paper aims to provide a thorough analysis of a particular case to address the research question. Human trafficking is of great relevance, as it is a transnational crime which affects every country in the world whether as country of origin, transit or destination for victims.
This paper compares the traditional approach of realism with the feminist perspectives with reference to human trafficking, focusing on the respective security referent, security threat and policy focus. Instead of taking on a specific lens of each tradition, the commonalities of realism and feminism are taken as a basis to analyse human trafficking to ensure comparability. This paper argues that feminist approaches to security contribute to a great extent to the understanding of human trafficking as feminist perspectives shift the focus of traditional security theories from state security to human security. Moreover, feminists put attention to the social construction of a gendered hierarchy which marginalises victims of trafficking, and in turn hinders the state to set an adequate policy focus to combat human trafficking.
This paper is structured as follows: the first chapter looks at the concept of ‘Contemporary Security Challenge’, outlining six criteria which define what constitutes a Contemporary Security Challenge. The second chapter explains the case selection of human trafficking by applying the established criteria to this particular case. The third chapter outlines the viewpoints of the traditional security approaches on human trafficking, focusing mostly on the realist perspective, while the fourth chapter analyses human trafficking using a feminist perspective. In the fifth chapter, a discussion reviews the results of the analysis.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Definition of a Contemporary Security challenge
2. Case selection Human Trafficking
3. Traditional security approaches to human trafficking
4. Feminist perspective on human trafficking
5. Discussion
Conclusion
Bibliography
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper investigates the contribution of feminist perspectives to the understanding of contemporary security challenges, specifically using the case of human trafficking. It aims to demonstrate that feminist approaches offer a more nuanced understanding of this transnational crime by shifting the analytical focus from state-centric security models to human security, while critiquing the gendered hierarchies that often marginalize victims.
- Comparison of traditional realist security paradigms versus feminist security perspectives.
- Application of contemporary security challenge criteria to human trafficking.
- Critical analysis of gendered stereotypes and victim hierarchies in security discourse.
- Evaluation of policy shifts from border security to human rights-based approaches.
- Examination of the social construction of security threats and referent objects.
Excerpt from the Book
Feminist perspective on human trafficking
Feminism is seen as part of the soul-searching debates in security studies which arose in the post-Cold War period and which challenged the traditional approaches to security (Buzan & Wæver, 2013, p. 395). There is not one feminist approach to security, but many, with changing insights depending on whether approaching global politics through a realist, liberal, constructivist, critical, post-structural, post-colonial or an ecological feminist lens (Sjoberg, 2010, p. 3).
Nevertheless, the feminist perspectives have several commonalities. Peterson defines feminism broadly as ‘neither just about women, nor the addition of women to male-stream constructions; it is about transforming ways of being and knowing’ (1992, p. 205). The main criticism by feminist approaches to security was that the impact of gender has been ignored in security studies (Collins, 2013, pp. 4-5). Feminist work is not concerned with the biological sex classes but with a social construction of gender. Here, a masculine/ feminine dichotomy is claimed to organise Western thought in which masculinity is prioritised (Wilcox, 2007). Feminist perspectives define security broadly in multidimensional or multilevel terms, which includes — besides war and international violence — additionally ‘domestic violence, rape, poverty, gender subordination and ecological destruction’ (Sjoberg, 2010, p. 4). Moreover, feminist perspectives extend the focus of politics from the public life to the personal life, analysing, in addition to the state security, the individual and communal security (Enloe, 2000, p. 195). Finally, there is agreement that gender can play a significant role in security studies in three ways: firstly, it is required for the understanding of international security; secondly, gender has to be taken into account when investigating causes and forecasting outcomes and thirdly, it is necessary to find solutions for security problems (Sjoberg, 2010, p. 5).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the research rationale and sets the stage for comparing realist and feminist approaches to human trafficking as a contemporary security challenge.
1. Definition of a Contemporary Security challenge: Develops a framework of six criteria to define and categorize modern, non-traditional security threats.
2. Case selection Human Trafficking: Applies the developed criteria to human trafficking to demonstrate why it fits the definition of a contemporary security challenge.
3. Traditional security approaches to human trafficking: Examines how realist paradigms focus on state sovereignty, viewing human trafficking primarily as a migration and border control issue.
4. Feminist perspective on human trafficking: Explores the commonalities of feminist theories and highlights their critical focus on human security and gendered social constructions.
5. Discussion: Synthesizes the analysis, concluding that feminist perspectives offer superior policy insights by prioritizing victim-centered human rights over state-centric security.
Keywords
Feminist perspectives, Human trafficking, Contemporary security challenges, Realism, Human security, Gender hierarchy, Security referent, Victim-centered approach, International Relations, Modern-day slavery, Social construction, State security, Migration control, Security studies, Policy focus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how feminist perspectives contribute to understanding contemporary security challenges, specifically by applying these lenses to the issue of human trafficking.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include the comparison between traditional realist security paradigms and feminist approaches, the definition of security threats, human security versus state security, and the social construction of gender in political discourse.
What is the primary research goal?
The research goal is to demonstrate that feminist frameworks provide a deeper and more effective understanding of human trafficking than traditional realist perspectives, which often overlook the human impact.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The paper employs a comparative analysis, using specific frameworks (notably Lobasz) to compare realism and feminism across three dimensions: the security referent, the security threat, and the consequential policy focus.
What is addressed in the main part of the paper?
The main sections analyze the definition of security challenges, evaluate human trafficking as a case study, and systematically contrast realist and feminist interpretations of how states should respond to this phenomenon.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Feminist perspectives, Human trafficking, Human security, Realism, Gendered hierarchy, and Security referent.
How do feminists and realists differ in their definition of a "security referent"?
Realists view the state as the primary security referent, prioritizing national sovereignty and border control, whereas feminists prioritize the individual or the community, focusing on human security.
What is the "hierarchy of victims" mentioned in the study?
It refers to a feminist critique where security discourse prioritizes "innocent, pure" white victims while neglecting others, such as voluntary sex workers or male victims, who do not fit stereotypical victim constructions.
How has the feminist perspective influenced EU policy on human trafficking?
The research notes a shift in EU policy, exemplified by Directive 2011/36/EU, which moved from a focus purely on state security and illegal immigration toward a more humanitarian, gender-sensitive, and victim-centered approach.
- Citation du texte
- Inga von der Stein (Auteur), 2017, To what extent do feminist perspectives contribute to our understanding of Contemporary Security Challenges? The Case of Human Trafficking, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/383167
