It has been more than three years since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. In that time, different Prime Ministers, Presidents, and leaders have all tried to grapple with what that means for European security. But security for who?
This week’s guest is Dr Jenny Mathers. She began her journey into academia by writing her doctorate thesis on Soviet ballistic missile defence policy from Stalin to Gorbachev and since then, has offered her thoughts on the BBC, LBC, Huffington Post and elsewhere. She is also a leading academic in the field of Feminist Security Studies in which she has analysed the role of gender in relation to security.
Our conversation begins with how she first became interested in Soviet politics and what steered her towards gender and feminism.
Dr Mathers then helps to explain the role of gender in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, how security is often seen as being the business of men, and Putin’s comments regarding Ukraine as a “Sleeping Beauty” and would-be rape victim.
This leads to a discussion about the role of feminism in security studies and how feminists view war before finally asking the question: if we need to prepare for war to keep the peace, how do we prepare for war to create a feminist peace?
Be sure to listen to the episode here!