DIPLOMASI PUBLIK DAN POLITIK GENDER DI GLOBAL SELATAN: MENGGUGAT NETRALITAS REPRESENTASI DI INDONESIA, AFRIKA SELATAN, DAN BRASIL

Authors

  • Roy Setiawan Universitas Sriwijaya
  • I Kadek Andre Nuaba Universitas Sriwijaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33822/mjihi.v8i2.12427

Keywords:

Diplomacy, Politics, Global South

Abstract

Public diplomacy is often understood as a strategic communication practice that is neutral and universal. However, in the context of Global South countries, this presumed neutrality deserves to be challenged, as it tends to overlook the gendered dimensions embedded in the construction of national image and international legitimacy. This study examines how Indonesia, South Africa, and Brazil represent gender within their public diplomacy strategies, and how these practices reflect or contest global power relations. Employing feminist constructivism and postcolonial feminism as analytical frameworks, the research analyzes policy documents, digital campaigns, and official media narratives. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of gender analysis and epistemic justice within the field of public diplomacy in Global South contexts—an area often marginalized in mainstream international relations literature. The research not only reveals the symbolic and depoliticized representations of gender in public diplomacy, but also highlights resistant practices by non-state actors who reimagine diplomacy in more inclusive terms. It argues that gender-based public diplomacy is not merely about image-making, but about a state's willingness to confront its own social complexities and build legitimacy through more just and reflective narratives.

References

Aggestam, K., & Towns, A. E. (2019). The gender turn in diplomacy: A new research agenda. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 21(1), 9–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2018.1483206

Aggestam, K., & Towns, A. E. (Eds.). (2018). Gendering Diplomacy and International Negotiation. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-58682-3

ALMI & CBDS. (2025). Webinar Kebijakan Diplomasi Perempuan: Peran dan Tantangan. Laporan Resmi.

Angelini, R. (2024). Deconstructing Gender Inequality in Feminist Foreign Policy: A WPR and Postcolonial Analysis of Canada, Spain, and Germany. Umeå University, Sweden.

Ayodele, O., Wekesaa, B., & Turianskyi, Y. (2021). Introduction to the special issue: Digital diplomacy in Africa. South African Journal of International Affairs, 28(3), 335–339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10220461.2021.1961606

Ayodele, T., Wekesaa, T., & Turianskyi, Y. (2021). Digital diplomacy and gender inclusiveness in South Africa. African Journal of Political Science, 32(4), 55–71.

Bacchi, C. (2009). Analysing Policy: What’s the Problem Represented to Be? Pearson Education Australia.

Blanchard, E. M. (2003). Gender, international relations, and the development of feminist security theory. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 28(4), 1281–1312. https://doi.org/10.1086/368328

Commission for Gender Equality. (2024). Annual Report on Gender Representation in Public Institutions. Pretoria: CGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). (2022). Women in Diplomacy Campaign. Pretoria: Government of South Africa.

Enloe, C. (2014). Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics (2nd ed.). University of California Press. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520279995

Expo Dubai Indonesia Pavilion. (2021). Wonderful Indonesia Cultural Showcase. Jakarta: Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language (2nd ed.). Routledge. DOI:10.4324/9781315834368

Khullar, A. (2023). Re-envisioning South Asia’s Foreign Policy from a Feminist Perspective. In South Asian Women and International Relations (pp. 105–131). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9426-5_7

Lazar, M. M. (2017). Feminist critical discourse analysis. In J. Flowerdew & J. E. Richardson (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Critical Discourse Studies (pp. 372–387). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315739342-26

Leiden University – HJD Diplomacy Reading List (2024). Gender in Diplomacy.

Locher, B., & Prügl, E. (2001). Feminism and constructivism: Worlds apart or sharing the middle ground? International Studies Quarterly, 45(1), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/0020-8833.00184

Meredith, M. (2024). Universities and Epistemic Justice in a Plural World: Knowing Better. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-9852-4

Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. PublicAffairs.

https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/joseph-s-nye-jr/soft-power/9781586483067/

Rodrigues, A., & Maciel, M. (2023). Indigenous women and community diplomacy in Brazil: Challenges and opportunities. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 66(2), 102–118. https://www.scielo.br/j/rbpi/.

Rodrigues, G. M. A., & Maciel, T. M. (2023). Heritage Diplomacy Matters? Brazil’s Foreign Policy and South–South Cooperation in Cultural Heritage. In Soft Power and Heritage (pp. 113–136). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-41207-3_7

Santos, B. de S. (2018). Epistemologies of the South: Justice Against Epistemicide. Routledge.

Spies, Y. K. (2019). Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00530-6

Stephenson, E., & Rathore, K. S. (Eds.). (2025). Gender and Diplomacy: Critical Junctures, Innovations and Future Research Directions. Springer.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-83064-8.

Strazzeri, I. (2024). Gender and postcolonial studies: History of the concept and debate. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, Article 1414033. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1414033

Sukma, R. (2011). Soft Power and Public Diplomacy: The Case of Indonesia. In S. J. Lee & J. Melissen (Eds.), Public Diplomacy and Soft Power in East Asia (pp. 91–112). Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/9780230118447_6.pdf

Tickner, J. A. (1992). Gender in International Relations: Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security. Columbia University Press. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/gender-in-international-relations/9780231075398

UN Women. (2023). Feminist Foreign Policy: A Global Overview. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/06/feminist-foreign-policy-global-overview

Wodak, R. (2015). Critical discourse analysis, discourse-historical approach. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (2nd ed., pp. 538–561). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118584194

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Setiawan, R., & Nuaba, I. K. A. (2025). DIPLOMASI PUBLIK DAN POLITIK GENDER DI GLOBAL SELATAN: MENGGUGAT NETRALITAS REPRESENTASI DI INDONESIA, AFRIKA SELATAN, DAN BRASIL. Mandala: Jurnal Ilmu Hubungan Internasional, 8(2), 44–64. https://doi.org/10.33822/mjihi.v8i2.12427