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“This is simply a brilliant book. It is timely and necessary. In the shining of her feminist spotlight on deepest fissures of the structures of our modern world, she uncovers and explains; patriarchy, misogyny and masculinity, she moves effortlessly from militarism to financial institutions and shows that the triumvirate of P, M and M, still defines politics and power across all spectrums. In exposing how it works, she also exposes something we, as feminists, have been ashamed to confront, (save for the brave few), our own fear of not being taken seriously, our tacit ‘collaboration’. Its time for us to change, and as the imaginary dinner table concluded; ‘Now not later’! Thank you Cynthia!”—Madeleine Rees, Secretary General, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
“Of all the lessons I have learned from Cynthia Enloe’s pathbreaking scholarship, perhaps the most important is that to understand how any system of power works, one must examine who is on the margins of that system and how they are kept there. And to do that, one must pay close attention to the lives of those who live and operate on the margins, women in particular. In her new book, Enloe shows exactly what scholars, activists and officials lose when they fail to take the lives of women seriously. It is a must-read for any social scientist or graduate student.”—Aaron Belkin, Author of How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’
“Cynthia Enloe’s work is unique in that it challenges us all—policymakers, activists, scholars and students alike to take gender seriously. She asks provocative questions that are not normally asked about global politics and is always questioning our ‘common sense’ understanding about the way the world works.”—J. Ann Tickner, author of Gendering World Politics: Issues and Approaches in the Post-Cold War Era
“Cynthia Enloe is the leading authority in the field of gender, feminism, women and international relations.”—Amrita Basu, Paino Professor of Political Science, Women and Gender Studies, Amherst College
List of contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
1. Who Is “Taken Seriously”?
2. Launching and Naming: Sexual Harassment and One Women’s-Studies Story
3. The Mundane Matters: Why Feminists Take Daily Life Seriously
4. DSK, Vikings, and the Smartest Guys: Masculinities in the Banking Crash of 2008
5. Women in Recession: Austerity and Misogyny
6. Militarism, Patriarchy, and Peace Movements: In Conversation with Cynthia Cockburn
7. Failing to Secure the Peace: Patriarchal Assumptions and Their Consequences for UN Operations in Haiti; A Conversation with Nadine Puechguirbal
8. Egyptian Women, Feminism, Revolutions: The Dinner Party
9. Conclusion: In the Eye of the Beholder
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Cynthia Enloe is research professor at Clark University and author of numerous books, including Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics.
Summary
Offers an analysis of globalization, Bananas, Beaches, and Bases, uses four contemporary political cases in order to discover what we learn if we take women and masculinities seriously.
Additional text
"Enloe's analysis is eye-opening, clear, and provocative. She makes a compelling case for using a gendered lens in order to fully understand "what's going on" or how to productively forge a way to resolve crises. . . . [Seriously! is] an excellent, highly accessible analysis that would be useful in undergraduate and graduate classes alike. In addition, scholars of gender, politics, human rights, and social movements are likely to find the book engaging and insightful."
