International Social Science Council Scientific Programme on

Gender, Globalization, and Democratization

Progress Report November 2006

Submitted by Jane Bayes, Director

The first part of this report reviews the objectives and projects of the ISSC-GGD and lists the activities of year (page 1) . The second part explains these activities in more detail (page 2). The third part discusses the progress being made in each of the project areas (page 9), the fourth part lists the activities planned for 2007 ( page 11). The final fifth part is a report on expenditures for 2006 (page 12). A detailed listing of expenditures accompanies this report as a separate excel file.

PART I : Objectives and Projects of the ISSC-GGD

In 2004 when the GGD was recognized as an ISSC Scientific Research Programme, the GGD set forth five objectives:

1)To offer a global organizational structure for scholars from different areas of the world and from different disciplines in the social sciences to perform collaborative research on the intersectionality of themes of gender, globalization and democratization.

2)To develop joint research projects to generate knowledge that can be used as a foundation for policy initiatives to improve the lives of women.

3)To provide an output of scholarly publications, workshop materials, syllabi, training manuals and course materials that can be shared globally on the internet or in other ways to address problems generated for women by globalization.

4)To establish an inclusive network of researchers working in the field of globalization and gender, one that reaches out to include young scholars and scholars from the majority world.

5)To collaborate with international, national, and local organizations, including other ISSC member organizations, to foster a long term research and training program on globalization, gender and democratization.

To accomplish these objectives, the ISSC-GGD in 2004 identified six projects or

special areas of concern:

1)Sexual Trafficking and Human Security

2)Women and Leadership Around the World

3)Migration and Gender

4)Globalization and the Changing Structure of the Family

5)Gender in the Global Political Economy

6)Education, Outreach, CapacityBuilding

List of Activities in 2006:

Publications

Jane Bayes, Patricia Begné, Laura Gonzalez, Lois Harder, Mary Hawkesworth, and

Laura Macdonald. Women, Democracy, and Globalization in North America: A

Comparative Study. New York: Palgrave. 2006.

Mary E. Hawkesworth. Globalizaiton and Feminist Activism. Boulder, CO: Rowman and

Littlefield. 2006.

Brigitte Young “Engendering the German Parliamentary Commission Report on

Globalization ofthe World Economy”, in: Edith Kuiper and Drucilla Barker (eds.), FeministEconomics and the World Bank, New York: Routledge. 2006: 232-242.

Conference Activities

1)January 2006: Central and North American Encuentro Conference, Costa Rica

2) March 2006: Leadership panel at Western Political Science Association, New Mexico,USA

3) March 2006: Joint Conference with International Studies Association, California, USA

4) July 2006: Joint meeting with International Political Science Association, Japan

5) July 2006: Meeting at World Forum of Sex Trafficking and Human SecurityProject,Japan

6) September, 2006 Gender in Political Economy Conference,Germany

Other Activities

Grant Proposal written by Mary Hawkesworth to Rockefeller Foundation entitled

“Building a Global Feminist Digital Repository and Research Network.” This would be an electronic archive for materials on globalization, gender, and democratization at RutgersUniversity, materials that would then be available on the web. The grant is written in conjunction with the Rutgers University Library who would be in charge of cataloguing and managing this data archive. The grant is to fund a global planning meeting among centers in the IGGD-GGD network and others.

Mary Hawkesworth and Jane Bayes attended a Global Feminisms Conference at the

University of Michigan 28-30 September 2006 to discuss with others how to use interview and video data gathered in an impressive four country study of feminist activists for teaching purposes. See

PART II: Explanation of Activities

Publications

Jane Bayes, Patricia Begné, Laura Gonzalez, Lois Harder, Mary Hawkesworth, and

Laura Macdonald. Women, Democracy, and Globalization in North America: A

Comparative Study. New York, Palgrave 2006.

This book which provides chapters on the history of women and politics in Mexico, Canada, and the United States as well as chapters on the gendered impact of globalization in each of the three countries is a part of the series “Perspectives in Comparative Politics” published by Palgrave and is meant for university classroom teaching as well as a contribution to the scholarly literature in the field.

Mary E. Hawkesworth. Globalization and Feminist Activism. Boulder, CO: Rowman and

Littlefield. 2006.

This book uses a wealth of historical and contemporary examples to show how women

have forged international networks and alliances to address specific gender issues beyond the borders of the state. The book is meant to be for university classroom teaching as well as a contribution to the scholarly literature in the field.

Brigitte Young “Engendering the German Parliamentary Commission Report on

Globalization ofthe World Economy”, in: Edith Kuiper and Drucilla Barker (eds.), Feminist Economics and the World Bank, New York: Routledge. 2006: 232-242.

This publication represents the work a member of our GGD Scientific Research

Committee is doing with regard to making explicit critiques of public policy

from a gendered perspective. It is also meant to be a contribution to the scholarly

literature in the field.

Conference Activities

1) Second Transnational Encounter of Central and North American Women –

12-13 January 2006, San José, Costa Rica

Sponsors:

The International Social Science Council’s Scientific Research Programme on Gender, Globalization and Democratization(ISSC-GGD),

The Institute of Gender Globalization and Democracy at CaliforniaStateUniversity Northridge

The University of Costa Rica

Center of Women’s Studies, Honduras

TheSecond Transnational Encounter of Central and North American Women took place on January 12-13, 2006 at the University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica. Prominent feminist scholars and activists from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico came together to discuss the impact that neoliberalism had had on their societies and, in particular, in shaping the backlash against the feminist movements in the post war context. The attendants considered the meeting of great relevance, particularly because the lack of funding for research purposes had prevented feminists from the region from engaging in academic discussions in the last years. Thus the meeting came to fill a felt need among feminist academics and activists. All participants expressed great satisfaction with the level of engagement and quality of the work presented during these two days. A third meeting is being planned for 2007. Participants were not only able to express and understand how neoliberalism has affected all, but also how it has created a common ground among feminists from different regions, women that until recently have viewed themselves as divided and separated. Differences of the past were left behind to construct new research and political agendas together.

The following papers were presented for discussion:

  • Ana Felicia Torres, Laura Queralt and Laura Guzman members of the new political party “ New Feminist League” presented on “Women’s Political Participation Strategies: Contributions and Challenges of a Feminist Political Party.” Costa Rica was about to celebrate presidential elections and the new feminist party was to participate for the first time in the elections. Members of the party took this opportunity to present their political platform of ideas, the challenges experienced in process of formation of the party, and an exchange of ideas with other Central American feminists that had recently participated in electoral processes as was the case of Honduran feminists.
  • Maria Elena Mendez, Suyapa Martinez and Mirta Kennedy members of the Center of Women’s Studies in Honduras reported on their participation as candidates for congress and municipalities in the elections of 2005. They presented a nuanced analysis of the political system in Honduras, the challenges of negotiation presented by progressive parties led by men, their decision to run as independent candidates, once it was established that they did not receive enough support from these political camps. They shared their political strategies in shaping what they called the campaign against women casting one vote for all the candidates of one party and the lessons learned in the political process.
  • Urania Ungo, professor of the University of Panama presented a paper on the backlash against the feminist movement in Panama and the Central American region. She analyzed the right wing forces that have been gaining ground in the political scene in Central America; the conservative effect that the Beijing process had had on the feminist movement; the lack of government support to the Platform of Action of Beijing; the intensity of the backlash against women due to the timid advancements that women had reached in the last decades and the regression that these right wing attack on feminism had accomplished in Panama. She also made clear the connections that these right wing forces in Panama and the region have with imperial forces in the United States.
  • Sofia Montenegro, renowned Nicaraguan feminist scholar presented a fascinating review of the political system in Nicaragua and its connections to its colonial past. She analyzed the challenges of constructing a liberal democracy in a country still managed as a hacienda; she compares the political pacts that are sealed among the political parties of today as following the same patterns of kinship tutelage, the hierarchical order of the Catholic Church, and racial and ethnic stratification of colonial times. She sees this as a historical problem of Nicaragua.
  • Jessica Sanchez, feminist activist and scholar of the North Coast of Honduras presents us with an analysis of the impact of globalization on women and the feminist movement of her country. She particularly analyzes the situation of the women working for the maquila in the North Coast of Honduras, and the particularities of the feminist movement of this part of the country.
  • Laura Guzman, professor of Women’s Studies of the University of Costa Rica presented the results of the national survey on violence against women in Costa Rica. Her analyses of the survey revealed the myths that surround the issues of violence against women in Costa Rica, and the problems women still face with Costa Rican law enforcement, and the increase in violence against women in the last decade.
  • Sabine Masson, Swiss feminist scholar conducting research in Chiapas, Mexico presented us with an interesting analysis of the indigenous movement of women in the regions where the Zapatistas are most active. She gives a nuanced analysis of the ways gender and race intersect in the way women participate in the Zapatista women and how they view gender issues.
  • Hilda Marian Morales from Guatemala -
  • Mirta Kennedy, Uruguayan national living and researching in Honduras for the last 25 years presented us with data and an analysis of the problem of femicide in Honduras that has reached genocidal proportions. She presents us with the theoretical framework used to understand the problem, the problems with local authorities and the links of this problem to neoliberal globalization.
  • Breny Mendoza, professor of Women’s Studies at CSUN presented her paper on “the Undemocratic Foundations of Democracy.” Here she gives us a historical perspective on democracy, the failure of an ethics of nonviolence since colonial times in the region and how that is related to the increase of femicide in Central America.
  • Ana Silvia Monzon, professor of Sociology of the University of Guatemala, presented her study on the migration of Guatemalan women to the United States and the impact it has had on the Guatemalan family, indigenous communities, and the economy.
  • Ana Roza Ruiz, Costa Rican feminist scholar and member of the Feminist New League presented her work on female employment in the context of economic restructuring in Costa Rica and the impact that the free trade agreement would have on Costa Rican women.
  • Thais Aguilar, Costa Rican consultant to the UNDP presented a study on the issue of pornography, trafficking in women and its connections to globalization, and the and the existent legislation in the region.
  • Glady’s Miller, feminist scholar from Panama presented her study on trafficking in women in her country.
  • Jane Bayes, professor of Political Science at CSUN closed the meeting by giving the group background information on the project of the International Social Science Council’s Scientific Research Programme on Gender, Globalization and Democratization(ISSC-GGD) and the Institute of Gender Globalization and Democracy at California State University, Northridge, the promises and problems of North-South relations within feminism, the possibilities of future collaboration between North and South in constructing a common research agenda.

2)16-18 March 2006. Women and Leadership Panel at Western Political Science Association Albuquerque, New MexicoUSA

As a part of the Western Political Science Association meetings and as a part of the

ISSC-GGD Women and Leadership Project, the ISSC-GGD sponsored a panel entitled

“Globalization, Democratization, and Women's Leadership: Developing an Agenda.”

The theme of this panel was that globalization demands creative and new kinds of leadership from women and called for an agenda to explore how women are providing that leadership in various parts of the world.

Participants and paper titles were:

Julia Jordan-Zachary “Intellectual Capital vs Human Lives: South Africa: Women

Organizing Against AIDS Drug Producing Companies”

Andrea Simpson. “Controlling Women: Intersectionality, Leadership and the

Environmental Justice Movement”

Jane Bayes “Moving Across Borders of Power and Powerlessness: Developing an Agenda for Women’s Leadership”

3)Joint Conference with International Studies Association on Globalization and Changing Family Structures – 22-25 March 2006: San Diego, CA

In 2005, the ISSC-GGD applied for and received the status of “Cooperating Organization” from the International Studies Association. This was the second ISSC-GGD – ISA joint conference. At this joint conference, the ISSC-GGD panel continued its exploration of Globalization and Changing Family Structures that it began in the

Women’s World Conference held in Seoul, Korea in July, 2005. The panel participants and papers were:

Lois Harder, Canada “Globalization and its Impact on Family Policies in the United

States and Canada”

Marian Simms, “Feminist Critiques of Population and Neo-NatalistPolicies”

Laura Gonzalez and Jane Bayes “Globalization and the Politics of Changing Family

Structures for Migrants from Mexico to the United States”

***

Brigitte Young also met with ISSC-GGD members at the ISA in 2006 where she

participated in roundtable related to ISSC_GGD general themes entitled “Human

(In)Security in Global North South Relations”

4)Joint Meeting with International Political Science Association 9-13 July 2006 in

Fukuoka, Japan

At this meeting, the ISSC-GGD had two official panels in conjunction with Research Committee 52 : “The Globalization of Human Insecurity in Exploitative Migration” and “Migration and its Gendered Consequences in Developing Countries.” In addition, the ISSC-GGD Research Programme co-sponsored several other panels with RC 52 meaning that members of the ISSC-GDD presented papers on themes related to ISSC-GGD’s six project areas listed above. Panels involved included: “Social Reproduction and the Changing Structure of the Family,”“ Globalization and Changing Family Forms,” “Women in the Public Sphere.”Using ISSC-GGD money, we were able to bring 3 scholars from the majority world (Vietnam, China, and India) and one Mexican American scholar that would not have otherwise been able to participate. Scholars who participated on these panels include:

Thang-Dam Truong. The Hague, Netherlands. "The Gender of Human Insecurity: What Does

Exploitative Migration Tell Us?"

Bang-Soon Yoon . USA/ South Korea "North Korean Women Defectors in South Korea:

Migration Patterns and Adaptation Process."

Han Jia-Ling. Beijing, China"Internal Migration in China and its Gendered Consequences”

Also : “Maids or Wives: Research on “Mainland” Chinese Brides in Taiwan”

Le Thi Quy Hanoi, Vietnam "Migration between Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and China and

its Gendered Consequences: An Overview"

Lois Harder and Janine Brodie Edmondton, Canada“Social Reproduction and Changing Family

Forms in Canada”

Monique Leyenaar Nijmegen, Netherlands “Life Long Living: Trends in Europe”

Ki-young Shin,Korea/Japan “Globalization and the Changing Family in Japan”

Laura Gonzalez, Evelyn Perette and Jane Bayes USA“Globalization and the Changing Family in

Mexico”

KatieGrace, New Zealand“Globalization, Social Reproduction and Women’s Work in New

Zealand

Nina Karifi Alai.Nw Zealand. Globalization and the Samoan Family

Mary Hawkesworth , USA “Gender and the ‘Public’: A theoretical overview”
Malin Ronnblom, Sweden. “ Democracy and Growth: Joinable or Incompatible Goals? “

Marian Simms New Zealand “Gender and Power: Australia and New Zealand Compared”

Ingrid Volkmer and Christinea Slade, New Zealand and Australia, “The Perception of Public

Space by Arab Women in Europe”

Ranjana Kumari India, “Political Empowerment of South Asian Women: Creating Political

Space for Women in South Asia”

5)Meeting of ISSC-GGD members with members of the at the World Forum of the Human

Security in the Global City Networks Project (HSGN), in Kita Kyushu, Japan on 14 - 15

July 2006.

ISSC-GGD Scientific Programme members, Kinohide Mushakoji and Seiko Hanochi are the ISSC-GGD’s link to this five year research project based at the Open Research Centre at ChubaUniversity in Japan. The project focuses on global networks of cities as channels along which people, goods, capital, technology, and information pass. Noting that the existence of these networks and their operation challenges the ability of states to perform their obligations to protect the security of their citizens, the HSGN project proposes to study the confluence of socio-political, economic-financial, and military-police structuresthat characterize these global city network channels as well as to study and document the “existentially lived peoples’ insecurity” through the extensive collection and creation of both quantitative and qualitative data. Since much of this activity is illegal and unreported by state data gathering agencies, much of the research is qualitative. To execute this project, the HSGN has identified three global cities in the North and three in the South to serve as focal points. Research scholars in each of these focal points are conducting research projects in consonant with the conditions in their own areas to qualitatively and quantitatively build and analyze databases. A key component of this project will be developing a system for analyzing these qualitative databases, a plan that will involve cooperation with the Chuba School of Engineering.