Workshop of EADI Gender and Development Working Group April 20/21 2001
The EADI Gender and Development Working Group in conjunction with the EADI Executive Meeting organised a workshop on -Gender and Globalisation: Processes of Social and Economic Restructuring” from 20-21 April 2001 in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. The workshop was financially supported by CERES, the Belle van Zuylen Institute, RAWOO (Advisory Council on Research on Developing Countries), the University of Twente (Technology and Development Group and Emancipation Bureau [Freutelpot]) and the University of Amsterdam (University Board [CvB]).
The theme of the seminar Gender and Globalisation: Processes of Social and Economic Restructuring was outlined in four parts, with the aim of showing how gender interrelates with globalisation on a macro, meso and micro level. In part 1, on Globalisation, macro-economic policy and gender, Irene van Staveren introduced us to a new field of study: global finances and gender. She discussed gender biases in global finance and the role women's organisations can play in transforming the leading financial institutions (IMF, World Bank) on the financial market. The second part, on Labour markets, gender and social policies, unfortunately had to be cancelled due to illness on the part of both Stephanie Barrientos and Amrita Chhachhi. So part 3, Local restructuring of gendered economics, became part 2. Petra Dannecker spoke about the feminisation of textile labour and migration patterns in Bangladesh and Malaysia. This was followed by a presentation by Czarina Saloma on doing information technology in the Philippines: a gender perspective. Both speakers spoke about the concept of embeddedness. Finally, Wendy Harcourt outlined her research on globalisation, women and the politics of place, showing how poor women and women's groups are responding to and shaping resistances to globalisation's dominant neo-liberal capitalist discourses. In Part 3, Globalisation and local identities: gender, religion and social security, Selma Leydesdorff reported on a research project which is generating new insights into Muslim women by listening to narratives of women in six countries. Carla Risseeuw informed us about Indian research on the impact of a changing social welfare system on social relations in the Netherlands and the public debate on this process. It appeared that people in the North are not used to being advised by people in the South on problems in the North. In the evening, Ed Maan focussed on demand-driven research for development, an interactive approach to research programming, and discussed this approach on the basis of their Philippine-Dutch research programme on biodiversity issues in the Philippines. The second day was set aside for work in progress. Wendy Annecke presented her work on gender, poverty and energy in South Africa. Charlotte Martin gave an overview of her research on gender mainstreaming in international research organisations: the European dimension. Finally, Melody Lu Chia Wen (prospective Ph.D. student from Leiden) introduced us into her work in progress on mainland brides: 'transnational' marriage migration between Taiwan and mainland China. The abstracts of most of the presentations presented in this Newsletter contain more detailed information. A summary of the workshop can be found on the websites of EADI and of the Technology and Development Group, University of Twente. Proceedings of the workshop can be ordered from the Technology and Development Group.
Convenors:
Dr. Joy Clancy,
Technology and Development Group,
University of Twente
Dr. Margaret Skutsch,
Technology and Development Group,
University of Twente
Prof. Gudrun Lachenmann, BR> Sociology of Development Research Centre,
University of Bielefeld,
Executive Committee Member for the Netherlands:
Prof. Isa Baud,
Institute of Human Geography,
Faculty of Environmental Sciences,
University of Amsterdam
