SO 206- 01 Gender in a Global Perspective Mulderig 11/6/13 Gender and the State Topics o Nation and State o Tools

s of Domination o Gendered Language o Reproductive rights o The Arab Spring Nations, States, nation-states o The state is the institution that passes the authority to make rules that govern people in one or more societies within a definite, sovereign territory An entity that has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory- Weber o A nation is a group of people who share common history, language, ethnicity, or culture, and possess or want its own government The members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion Anderson o US- we are a nation on certain days (fourth of July, 9/11) but are not culturally a nation o Israel- is a state, but the Jewish people are a nation because they share a common identity o Japan is a state and nation- not a lot of ethnic diversity, one national identity Government Types o A monarchy is ruled by a king/queen who gains power through decent/lineage. o A democracy is a government in which individuals have a say through voting. o A republic is a government in which representatives are chosen to make decisions on behalf of the people. Led by a president or PM. o An authoritarian government is one which requires obedience to the administrative center. Totalitarianism is the extreme. Power an Authority o Power is the ability to control or influence others a complex strategic situation in a given society social setting Machiavelli

o Authority is the public acceptance of someones legitimate claim to power o Tools of Politics Elections are ways to gauge public opinion and choose leadership. Charisma is a major tool for gaining and maintaining legitimacy. The cult of personality is a propaganda tool that endears the leader to the people. Elections o Womens suffrage is not universal, but democracy is not a universal. o Women struggle to find equal representation in elected bodies, but this is often more about qualifications and the economic/educational limitations women face than political inequality o Many countries have quotas or womens lists, in which a certain percentage of seats in the elected body are dedicated to women. Fatherland and Motherland o We often used gendered language to discuss politics: The motherland and the Fatherland The Father of the Nation (Sun Yat-Sen, Simon Bolivar, Sukarno, Jomo Kenyatta, Peter I) The Mother of the people (Evita, FLotUS- supposed to be political about family issues) Ataturk- (Ata=forefather (of Turkish people)), leads Turkish war of independence Papa Doc- Hati, paternal figure Band of Brothers, Mothers of the Nation Big Brother (China- watches everything you do) The children of the nation Cult of Personality o The cult of personality often plays on gendered ideas of family. Evita- would give out cooking and other household items to women, also the queen of Argentina, mother to the poor and Barbie doll of the nation Ataturk- the army man, rough, drinking smoking, military still has a strong presence in Turkey Putin- what the Russian people wanted, a rough, abrasive father figure. Very physical and outdoorsy, a man of few words Reproductive Rights o The state controls reproduction in a number of ways: Legalizing/banning abortion Encouraging certain populations to breed Publicizing family-planning incentives Providing reproductive health resources

o The State and Reproduction The Pope and Contraception- viewed as bad by Catholic church, reconsidered in 90s- If a woman has a large enough family she can use it Chinas One-Child Policy 1.2 billion people (4X US population) with an unbalanced economy, 900 million live in abject poverty 1960s- every couple gets to have one child Poor people could have more kids to help with farming Led to gendercide- boys were valued over girls It is forbidden to discriminate against, mistreat or abandon baby girls. Some wealthy people left country to have more children Policy lifted about 5 years ago, Chinese population went down Created little emperor syndrome- young men are responsible for continuing family and financially supporting parents, spoiled by parents and now all responsibility is on them, no siblings to help with family Australia and the Aboriginal people State controls children, starting in 1920s took aboriginal children from families and put them in white families, taught to hate ancestry and embrace being Australian Lasted for 40 years Ripped from families, had no connection to past Irans see-saw of reproduction Needed to build up nationality, war with Iraq led to need for family Before war- family planning was encouraged Population of young men declines, mothers must be mothers of the Iranian nation every child is another solider Realized that they had too many children, put in family planning laws again Roe vs. Wade 1972 Decision- the govt. does not have the right to prevent a women from choosing an abortion Romania Under Ceausescu Nationalism and socialist policies led to governmental demands fore more children What were some of the methods used by Ceausescu to encourage more births? o Paid maternity leave and prenatal care o Dont have to pay to deliver baby

o If you had and raised 10 or more children, you received an honor o Criminalized abortion, contraception outlawed Interesting aspects of the Ceausescu policies: o Abortion became the most common form of birth control o Babies for sale- there was a black market for babies In 1991 Ceausescus government falls, abortion becomes legal and a common form of birth control Lots of babies sent to orphanages and are adopted by foreigners Singapores Ethnic Preferences What are the intersections between race, education, wealth, and reproduction in Singapore? o Has done well economically and socially o Prime Minister and Government develop programs that encourage reproduction of educated women and not of uneducated women o Financial bonuses and paid maternity leave for educated women that have children What is the States role in developing nationalism? o All of the educated people are Chinese, wanted to create a Chinese national character, want it to look white: Chinese not Indian o About ethnic preferences, social engineering The Arab Spring o What are the connections between gender and revolution in the Arab Spring? o Why is marriage connected to money? They cannot get jobs to get money needed to get married o Why do the structures of society matter? Young men cannot lead adult lives, they are in a liminal phase where they cannot find employment or get married which would give them adult status Not about democracy or elections, about a young population trapped in childhood and looking for respect