ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the ‘thick’ constructivism to which many prominent Feminist Security Studies authors currently subscribe is incapable of providing this sub-field of International Relations with adequate philosophical grounding. This is the case, it claims, because the textualist framework that results from this form of constructivism is unable to provide a basis and rationale for the kind of integrative, interdisciplinary research that is required to do justice to the events/phenomena with which Feminist Security Studies is concerned. In contrast, the chapter contends that critical realist philosophy – especially its emergentist/stratified ontology and power-/mechanism-based understanding of causality – does pave the way for such research. Moreover, it stresses that the heterodox and synthetic/preservative nature of this philosophical approach allows it to avoid the persistent theory/praxis inconsistencies which plague constructivist work.
