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