Four Headlines from 2014 that weren't Gendered and should've been. Number 4:

The Ukraine Crisis on a Backdrop of Nationalism in Europe

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@GendertheNew

The spotlight turned to Europe again in 2014 for its continuing economic woes but it was also there for a more unusual reason: there was a major international conflict on our doorstep. Victor Yanukovych was ousted from office in early 2014 by a revolution in the countries capital. This violent revolution came about because Ukraine finally ‘chose a side’ in its on going tug of war between west and east. Yankkovych (aside from being blatantly corrupt) chose short-term economic glory from Russia instead of long-term stability in the European Union. A decision his people were not happy with. Under the guise of controlling the situation and in the absence of any real governance Putin saw this as an opportunity (or perhaps orchestrated the whole thing depending on how truly megalomaniac you believe he is) to waltz into Crimea and claim it back as his own, with only pseudo-democratic legitimacy.  Then there was a sensationalist uproar about the new Cold War on Europe’s doorstep but analysis of the response to the situation was fundamentally gendered in the press: throughout the crisis in Crimea, Russia was dichotomised as hyper-masculine in opposition to the European Union, with Angela Merkel at its helm which, was largely feminised and seen to be too passive or weak in its dealings.

Look Southwards to the rest of Europe where nationalism is rife in many of key players in Europe: New Dawn in Germany, The National Front in France and UKIP in Britain to name but a few political uprisings. All of these euro-sceptic parties have shook the foundations of European politics and they all rose out of the ashes of the economic catastrophe of 2008-2012. Scapegoating differences in times of crisis proves to be an extremely successful political tactic. Whilst the role of testosterone in both the European and global financial crisis has been speculated about by many feminists, what absolutely links these nationalistic tendencies in Europe, Ukraine, Crimea and Russia is masculinity. Not masculinity as we know it in our dads, brothers, partners but masculinity on the world stage of international politics which only valorises hyper-masculinised ideals of stoicism, rationality and aggression. The language of sovereignty, statesmanship (the clue’s in the name), invasion, war and nationalism all orbits around this fictitious and performed hyper-masculinity. We can see this in nationalist discourse analysis the world around, we can see it in militaries and we can see it in Putin’s posturing around the big red nuclear button. I am no advocate of the ‘feminine relationship to peace’ but it seems clear to me that both the theory and practice of international politics are centred on certain, unattainable ideals of masculinity that leave very little room for women in the international sphere.

The second gendered element that links the Ukraine Crisis to nationalistic tendencies in Europe is the problem drawing of borders and straight line through the homes of everyday families. As Enloe (2014) points out cartographers around the world are being kept very busy in the twenty-first century. (Perhaps this provides an explanation for why they haven’t rectified the blatantly western-centric Peterson Projection map but that remains to be seen!) Whenever boarders are redrawn and communities are divided on ethnic grounds there are real lives involved. High Politick often disregards the this and it has been speculated that this is often a very gendered process. Often as the ‘breadwinner,’ ‘patriarch’ or ‘master of the family’ (excuse my largely heternormative assumption here for the purpose of point) men choose which side of the line families will go. Women must often simply follow suit without regard for their preference. Especially if there are offspring involved. For instance a Pro-Russian man might have married a Ukrainian women in Crimea yet she will be forced to separate herself from her Ukrainian friends, family or employment. Real lives are involved in headlines and those real lives are gendered – this is something we often forget.

That brings me to the end of this introductory 4-post-series of reflection on 2014, I hope reader thought they provided some insight into what I'm about. Stay tuned for more current headlines and follow me on twitter for regular updates! Next week I will be doing a round up of recent UK headlines and digressing into popular culture to ask: Is House of Cards Season 3 Feminist? 

Sources: 

Ukraine crisis: an essential guide to everything that's happened so far, The Guardian (2014) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/11/ukraine-russia-crimea-sanctions-us-eu-guide-explainer

Enloe (2014) Nationalism & Masculinity: The nationalist story is not over and it is not a simple story.