Book Review: Bananas, Beaches, & Bases
- Diplomania
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Written by: Vedant Rangari
Edited by: Kalyani R. Janakiraman
Vedant Rangari is a first-year student at Jindal School of International Affairs. He can be reached at 24jsia-vrangari@jgu.edu.in
Cynthia Enloe's "Bananas, Beaches and Bases" probes into how we perceive international relations with gendered lens. First published in 1989, the text offers an insightful exploration of the lives of women from different backgrounds in the larger political and international context. The essence of the book lies in the question- “Where are the women?” On the surface, the question may appear banal, but with careful examination it reveals a perspective unexplored. With its catchy title, where bananas represent global trade, beaches symbolize tourism, and bases embody military power, Enloe invites readers to reveal inherent gender dimensions present in these seemingly neutral domains. This book functions as a seminal piece in feminist international relations theory, contesting conventional narratives that have systematically ignored women's roles in international affairs. She argues that to grasp the dynamics of international politics fully, one must consider how gender shapes experiences and interactions across various contexts. The book is structured around key themes of tourism, military bases, and agricultural industries, each revealing the often-invisible contributions of women to global systems of power.
Enloe's work is commendable for its innovative approach to IR. By foregrounding women's experiences, she challenges the gender-blindness prevalent in traditional political discourse. Her assertion that "gender makes the world go round" encapsulates her argument that gender is not merely an addendum to international relations but a fundamental organizing principle.
By mapping the stories of individuals across diverse sectors—domestic workers, hotel chambermaids, rights activists, diplomats and their spouses, mistresses of male elites, sewing-machine operators, sex workers, soldiers, refugees, and agribusiness laborers—she uncovers the intricate connections between gender, power, and politics. She makes us rethink what constitutes ‘political’. Referring to ‘personal is political,’ a rallying slogan of second-wave feminism, she takes it a notch higher and contextualizes it in the larger international backdrop. Personal which is political becomes international. This internationalization requires us to sustain feminist curiosity about women’s lives and the workings of masculinities.
Enloe’s analysis in Chapter 5 is something that intrigued me the most. It offers a profound exploration of the gendered dimensions of diplomacy, particularly through the lens of marriage. By highlighting how the presence of a single woman among a group of male leaders draws attention to the pervasive masculinization of diplomacy, Enloe effectively critiques the exclusionary practices that characterize international relations. She skillfully unpacks the dual role of marriage as both a barrier to women's influence and a strategic tool for governments, illustrating how women's identities as wives can shape diplomatic dynamics.
Enloe's choice to highlight Pocahontas and Carmen Miranda is something else that caught my attention. Pocahontas symbolizes the manipulation of women's roles in colonial politics, while Carmen Miranda represents the commodification of femininity in U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America. These examples underscore that women's identities are central to global power dynamics. Such framing invites the readers to reconsider the often-invisible roles women play in diplomacy and international politics, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of gendered power structures throughout the book.
Enloe's writing is lucid, conversational, thought-provoking, and personal. The essays flow well together from one chapter to another, though there are places where transitions feel a little rough. The text makes use of an intersectional approach, examining how gender intertwines with race, class, ethnicity, and other social categories within the broader political and international landscape.
The book is highly researched and presents the use of case studies from all parts of the world. It places a theoretical and organizational framework of work of women in Britain in the 1890s, Algeria in the 1950s, the Philippines in the 1980s, Chile in the 1990s, and Egypt at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It arrived at a time when gender was not considered an analytical category in the realm of international politics. It led to a paradigmatic shift in the practice and scholarship of International Relations.
However, at times, the text may feel disjointed as it shifts between topics without fully synthesizing the connections among them. Enloe’s insights into how militarization affects women’s lives resonate strongly in our current geopolitical climate marked by conflict and displacement. Some of the dire contemporary issues have been included in the new edition, such as the Syrian and Iraqi feminists' experiences, which demonstrates Enloe's commitment to keeping her work well aligned with ongoing struggles for gender justice.
Not only will this work interest scholars of international relations, but also anyone who has read feminist theory, sociology, and cultural studies, because it draws on numerous disciplines and is produced for a wide readership: from students taking their first steps into the study of the dynamics of gender in global contexts to activists who want to understand the political implications of everyday life. Enloe’s work adds significant value to feminist literature by addressing gaps left by traditional IR theories that often overlook women’s contributions. While some ideas may echo previous feminist discourses, Enloe’s unique framing of everyday experiences as integral to understanding global politics offers fresh insights. Her exploration of how women navigate power structures provides a critical lens through which we can examine contemporary issues in international relations.
Bananas, Beaches, and Bases is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of gender and international politics. I would rate this book 4 out of 5. This book stands as a testament to the importance of integrating gender analysis into our understanding of international relations while also highlighting areas for further exploration within feminist scholarship.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s). They do not reflect the views or opinions of Diplomania or its members.
Comments