The Transformative Potential of Feminist Foreign Policy: The Case of Sweden

Nylund, Mia-Lie; Håkansson, Sandra; Bjarnegård, Elin

doi:10.1080/1554477x.2022.2113662

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

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“…Examining the empirical case in point of Sweden's feminist foreign policy, this study aims to gain an understanding of how policy branding, as an indicator of what a country can bring to the world (Browning, 2021), is legitimated as a response to global human rights crises. Sweden has for several decades sought to position itself as a progressive frontrunner and thus a role model for other countries to follow (e.g., Jezierska & Towns, 2021;Marklund, 2017;Towns, 2002) and expressed a sense of moral superiority (e.g., Nylund et al, 2023), of which its feminist foreign policy, introduced in 2014, can be seen as a continuation. Several other countries have since followed the Swedish example by including feminist perspectives and approaches in their foreign policy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legitimating Policy Branding: Constructing “Sellability” of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy

Karlsson

2024

MaC

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This article examines how foreign policy branding is legitimated as a response to human rights crises. Drawing on legitimation theory (van Leeuwen, 2007), this study takes a discourse perspective with a focus on the enactment of foreign policy in communication and argues that legitimacy is the foundation for constructing a convincing and credible image of a country and its foreign policy. Building on the example of Sweden’s feminist foreign policy and an analysis of relevant policy documents, three themes were formulated. These illustrate that Sweden’s feminist foreign policy branding was legitimated by framing the policy as a form of “good” activism, creating a knowledge brand of the policy, and aligning the policy branding with established discourses of solidarity. Thus, the study suggests that a branding logic imposed by the attention economy leads foreign policy communication to focus on constructing “sellability” of foreign policy, legitimating it in ways that make it relatable to wider publics. This article contributes to foreign policy communication research through the conceptual development of foreign policy branding.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legitimating Policy Branding: Constructing “Sellability” of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy

Karlsson

2024

MaC

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Imagining a New Feminist Contract for Foreign Policy

Rosamond,

Cheung

2024

A New Gender Equality Contract for Europe

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Sweden was the first European Union (EU) member to adopt a feminist foreign policy (FFP) in 2014, inspiring other members to adopt FFPs. This feminist turn can be juxtaposed against the EU’s broader external approach towards gender equality. In most FFPs, we identify broad (neo)liberal feminist principles rather than a thoroughgoing and meaningful set of transformative and radical objectives. Nonetheless, FFP can provide a productive space for deliberations on how to transform global politics and shed light on what an EU-wide FFP could look like. We locate our discussion within FFP research and propose that an EU-wide FFP could be based on authenticity, accountability and ambition (Bergman Rosamond, A., Duncanson, C., & Gentry, C. (2022, July 25). Opinion paper: Scotland the brave? An authentic, ambitious and accountable feminist foreign policy. The Scottish Council on Global Affairs, Retrieved from https://scga.scot/2022/07/25/opinion-paper-feminist-foreign-policy/). While recognising that the adoption of an EU FFP is an ambition unlikely to become a reality anytime soon, it can still provide a discursive space for dialogue, and, as such be a symbolic progressive glue. We complement our theorisation with a set of policy recommendations that the EU could consider prior to adopting a FFP platform.

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Introduction

Aggestam,

Rosamond,

Hedling

2024

Global Foreign Policy Studies

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This chapter introduces the study of the politics of feminist foreign policy and digital diplomacy. It unpacks two transformative and intersecting developments: (1) Sweden’s adoption of a distinct feminist branding of its foreign policy and (2) the embrace of digitalisation in diplomacy. In 2014, Sweden made history by becoming the first country in the world to launch a feminist foreign policy. This pioneering political move demanded both visibility and global attention, prompting Sweden to explore new digital environments and social media platforms, which would offer both scale and reach. Subsequently, several other states followed suit, embracing Sweden’s feminist foreign policy as a model of foreign policy conduct. This feminist shift in global politics has given rise to contestation, resistance and rejection by a range of global actors. This chapter advances a novel conceptual framework for studying the relationship between feminist foreign policy and digital diplomacy. The framework employs three key concepts: (a) articulation, (b) resonance and (c) contestation. These concepts are used to analyse Sweden’s feminist foreign policy leadership, nation branding and visual representation in global politics.

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The Transformative Potential of Feminist Foreign Policy: The Case of Sweden

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Legitimating Policy Branding: Constructing “Sellability” of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy

Legitimating Policy Branding: Constructing “Sellability” of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy

Imagining a New Feminist Contract for Foreign Policy

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