Feminist Political Theory

In the preceding section, Amy Mazur outlined the main features and strengths of Feminist Comparative Policy. This new perspective provides a systematic way of analysing policies and their impact on gender relations, and thereby offers important contributions to the analysis of the state and to political science in general. However, feminist political science is far from a homogenous field. To paraphrase currently unfashionable past revolutionaries, a thousand methodological flowers blossom within feminist analysis as elsewhere in political science. This section intends to contribute to the ongoing dialogue between different perspectives, disciplines, and sub-fields within as well as outside of political science, as recommended by Birte Siim (2001) in an earlier contribution to EPS , by outlining key debates and methodological controversies within feminist political theory on the state. Particular attention will be given to the methodological contributions of discourse theory to feminist political theory as well as to empirical analysiS of gendered state action and policies.