Intergovernmentalisms: Gendering the Dinosaur?

Intergovernmentalism, whether in its original version (Hoffmann) or the liberal (Moravcsik) one, is usually portrayed as one of two classic, competing integration theories (the other one being neofunctionalism). It is also considered to be hopelessly limited as regards its explanatory power, due to its state centrism and concomitant definition of the national interest, and strongly biased because of its rudimentary view of power. For those reasons, feminist scholars understandably tend to dismiss intergovernmentalism as an approach which is not helpful at all if one wishes to understand the gendered character and impact of European integration processes. This paper challenges both intergovernmentalism and feminist assessments of its usefulness. It discusses the basic assumptions of realist and liberal intergovernmentalism, it raises criticisms from a gender perspective and shows to what extent a gendered form of intergovernmentalism can be applied.