Feminist reflections on discourses of (power) + (sharing) in power-sharing theory
| Published date | 01 January 2020 |
| Date | 01 January 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0192512119868323 |
| Subject Matter | Special Issue Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512119868323
International Political Science Review
2020, Vol. 41(1) 58 –72
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512119868323
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Feminist reflections on discourses
of (power) + (sharing) in power-
sharing theory
Siobhan Byrne
University of Alberta, Canada
Abstract
A recent call by some feminist conflict mediation practitioners proposes to rename power-sharing: either
by prioritizing sharing over power or by replacing ‘power’ with the word ‘responsibility’. The purpose
of these discursive reformulations is to move beyond just adding women to power-sharing institutions;
instead, these proposals signal a desire to promote inclusion through a feminist emphasis on sharing in
power-sharing systems above a masculinist emphasis on power. Inspired by these proposals and reflecting
on the experiences of gender mediation experts, I work through critical feminist theories of intersectionality
and feminist empowerment to show how power-sharing theory can be reimagined so that power is not
just understood as coercive or as a finite resource that can only be divided between a limited number
of privileged groups; rather, power can also be productive, as well as a central feature of all hierarchical
relationships. I also explore how a feminist care ethic can offer alternative ways of conceiving of sharing in
governance. My objective is to demonstrate how feminist approaches can provide a new language of both
power and sharing to illuminate pathways through the ‘exclusion amid inclusion’ dilemma in power-sharing
theory.
Keywords
Ethics of care, gender and conflict, power-sharing, ethnic conflict, gender and peacebuilding, feminist
approaches to conflict resolution, intersectionality
A recent call by some feminist conflict mediation practitioners proposes to rename power-sharing:
either by prioritizing sharing over power or by replacing ‘power’ with the word ‘responsibility’.
The purpose of these discursive reformulations of power-sharing is to move beyond just adding
women to power-sharing institutions; instead, these proposals signal a desire to promote inclusion
through a feminist emphasis on sharing in power-sharing systems above a masculinist emphasis on
Corresponding author:
Siobhan Byrne, Department of Political Science, 10–16 Henry Marshall Tory Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Alberta T6G 2H4, Canada.
Email: siobhan.byrne@ualberta.ca
868323IPS0010.1177/0192512119868323International Political Science ReviewByrne
research-article2019
Special Issue Article
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