Description
This paper pursues two objectives: first, to develop a theoretical framework integrating queer and feminist insights within a poststructuralist International Relations (IR) perspective; second, to apply this framework to analyze discursive constructions of the (military) peacekeeper at the institutional level. Feminist postmodern and poststructuralist approaches critique and deconstruct the masculinist and androcentric assumptions embedded in peacekeeper conceptualizations, revealing contradictions and tensions inherent to this role. These perspectives share common ground with queer approaches, which introduce a distinct but complementary deconstructive lens to interrogate heteronormativity and cissexism within feminist ontologies. Employing a queer-feminist theoretical combination thus offers insights beyond the sum of its parts, particularly through conceptualizations of the body, relational embodiment, and performativity to better understand (de)construction processes in identity and role formation. This framework will be applied to a discourse and visual analysis of United Nations (UN) and NATO peacekeeping operations (PKOs) guidelines and training materials (written, visual, and audio-visual). By integrating queer theories, this study offers a novel approach to researching peacekeepers, highlighting the largely untapped potential of queer theorizing within poststructuralist IR.cturalist IR realm remain to be explored.
