Masculinities, IR and the 'gender variable': a cost-benefit analysis for (sympathetic) gender sceptics

While it is commonplace to argue that international relations reflects a 'masculinist' world of men, this article reverses the argument and asks whether international relations might also discipline men and help produce masculinities. In thinking through this question, the article provides an alternative route to understanding the feminist argument that the 'gender variable' cannot simply be added to mainstream analysis. By drawing attention to the epistemological and methodological problems which would arise even with empirically oriented research on the subject, the limitations of mainstream approaches to this hitherto largely neglected area of research are highlighted, and alternatives suggested.