Chair: Dr Amanda Chisholm, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies and Researcher in Gender and Security at King's College London 

Speaker: Sofia Perez Gil, PhD student at Universidad del Rosario, located in Bogotá, Colombia

Discussant: Marysia Zalewski, Professor of International Relations and Director of Equality, Dignity and Inclusion at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University

The “masculinisation” of the State is a process through which the State’s characteristics, role and responsibilities are closely related to the characteristics of manhood. In this process, the characteristics and values that the State assumes are those of the ideal masculine man. Masculinity is a gendered identity that is assigned to men and constructed in opposition to femininity, the sets of characteristics and behaviours assigned to women.

However, not all States assume masculinised roles. Sometimes, the masculinisation of States depends on the feminisation of some others, especially in contexts of asymmetric relations between them, when one of them has significantly more power and influence than the other. This process of feminisation and the role that “less powerful” States play in it has been vastly overseen.

This talk looks at the feminisation process that “less-powerful” or smaller countries go through, understanding feminisation as a strategic approach for relating to bigger States and not as a result of passivity or victimisation. Specifically, Sofia Perez Gil will explore the feminisation of Colombia’s role conceptions regarding its invitation for the United States of America to introduce troops to military bases located within Colombian territory during Álvaro Uribe’s second term (2006-2010).