Women and International Relations: A Historiographical Approach of Tackling Governance in the Interwar

Abstract

This article offers an appraisal of the role of women in the early development
of the field of International Relations (IR). An emphasis in the Interwar
period is justified by the fact that the end of World War I is conventionally considered
to be an important milestone for that development, although caveats
apply about this milestone’s mythological function. ‘Field’ here relates to both
the respective discipline and discourse, i.e. scientific and intellectual work and
thought produced by the realm of scholars, broadly defined, i.e. including not
just professors but also thinkers or practitioners who engaged in transnational
networks. The Interwar marks the emergence of a multifaceted field which
definitely consisted of International Law and Diplomatic History but also of
problématiques related to (geo)politics and governance.