Gendering parliamentary diplomacy: the case of EU27-UK relations

Miller, C. (2024) Gendering parliamentary diplomacy: the case of EU27-UK relations. Social Politics, 31(1), pp. 123-150. (doi: 10.1093/sp/jxad032)

Abstract

Parliamentary diplomacy (PD) is a contemporary feature of modern parliamentarism but remains, thus far, underexplored from a gender lens. PD incorporates the relationships that parliamentarians or parliaments as institutions have with other parliaments, parliamentarians, and nonstate actors to foster peace, democracy, understanding, dialogue, legitimacy, and scrutiny of governments. Parliaments are spaces of parliamentary and international negotiation and communication, practiced through rules, practices, and symbols. This article draws on a single case study of the European Parliament (EP) and of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) gendered PD, at the time of Brexit—a period when international agreements and relationships were shaped and how gendered PD was culturally legitimized. It is based on a unique qualitative dataset of 140 interviews and ethnographic research (2018–2020) generated at the time of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom’s MEPs from the EP. Based on this analysis, it further considers what a feminist PD might look like.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant no. 771676) and from the Academy of Finland (grant no. 355313).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Miller, Dr Cherry
• Authors: Miller, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Journal Name: Social Politics
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 1072-4745
• ISSN (Online): 1468-2893
• Published Online: 23 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2023
• First Published: First published in Social Politics 31(1):123-150
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a creative commons licence