ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the rationale, focus and organization of the book. Although political leaders frequently make grand statements about the promotion of gender equality and the gender-security agenda, there is often a wide gap between public rhetoric and policy action. This book breaks new ground by examining the gender dimensions of a wide array of traditional and non-traditional human security issues – ranging from armed conflict and terrorism to development, climate change and human rights issues. It bridges the divide between the security studies and security policy communities, on the one hand, and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and gender studies communities, on the other. Across ten issue areas, it shows how gender affects security and how security problems affect gender issues. This book is an integrated project that advances thinking by examining a common set of key factors across issue areas: obstacles to progress, drivers of progress and long-term strategies for progress in the 21st century. This chapter reviews the evolution of the security studies and gender studies fields, it assesses the policy track record on gender-security and WPS issues and it outlines the analytic framework that guides the book’s issue-oriented chapters.
