The rise of women's organizations of diplomats (WODs) and the possibilities of new imaginings for diplomacy, statecraft, and foreign policy

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of Women’s Organizations of Diplomats (WODs). Through the theoretical frameworks of Judith Butler’s performativity, Karen Barad’s agential realism, and Aníbal Quijano’s coloniality of power, the study focuses on how WODs challenge gendered and colonial norms and practices in diplomacy. The research highlights the complexities of WODs as transmaterial phenomena and ambiguous sites of creative agency, where women diplomats constantly (re)negotiate their identities and agencies within a historically male-dominated field. The empirical analysis encompasses case studies of WODs in the United States and Brazil, as well as regional and global networks of women diplomats to illustrate their potential in (re)defining diplomacy, statecraft, and foreign policy. The study also acknowledges the constraints faced by WODs, including internal challenges, institutional resistance, and global Eurocentric practices. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the importance of continued research on WODs as transformative agents in the contested field of diplomacy.