Gender, Imperialism and International Development ASSESSED ESSAY QUESTIONS, 2010/11 One 5,000 word assessed essay is due for this module on the date indicated in the MA Handbook. Please follow all the guidance provided there on presentation, referencing, submission procedures etc. 1. To what extent has imperialism been constructed and legitimated by a set of social relations and identities based on gender and sexuality? 2. How far has western feminist writing on gender relations in the majority world been able to free itself from discourses of ‘othering’ associated with the colonial period? 3. In what ways can women’s movements transcend differences, such as class, ethnicity and sexuality, in order to work together for social change? 4. How far do the measures and indicators of women’s ‘development’ accurately reflect women’s position in the development process? Does it matter? 5. Critically assess the liberal feminist AND Marxist feminist approaches to gender and development. 6. To what extent does the post-modernist focus on identity and the construction of meaning obscure the materiality of institutional power relations in the development process? 7. What contribution has a human rights based approach made to gender and development and what are its limitations? 8. What contribution has the capabilities approach made to gender and development and what are its limitations? 9. Discuss the proposition that the concept of gender is central to an understanding of ONE of the following: climate change; peace-building; the current economic crisis. 10. Answer a question of your own, which MUST be negotiated with the tutor in advance of starting the essay. Only an agreed title will be accepted. NB Whichever question is chosen, it must be written out in full at the start of the essay. Caroline Wright November 2010