Women Talking Politics is a network promoting communication among women and trans women working on political issues, their research and events across Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. It is designed to promote communication among women and trans women working in national and international politics, Māori and indigenous politics, political theory, public policy, political communication and other related disciplines. It includes women and trans women teaching, researching or actively engaged in women’s issues and politics more broadly. As such it showcases short pieces about research, news and events around a range of these topics.

Women Talking Politics has been an important source of articles, news and discussion about political thought and action written by women since 1987. Temporarily suspended in 2009, after the Christchurch earthquakes, it was brought back at the 2014 NZPSA Conference in December as a new annual Research Magazine.

Women Talking Politics 2018

2018 Issue of Women Talking Politics

Co-Editors: Sylvia Nissen and Jean Drage

2018 marks a year on from a general election which bought increased numbers of new women into New Zealand’s parliament coupled with the celebrations to mark 125 years since women gained the right to vote. This year’s edition of Women Talking Politics highlights the new women in our political system, as well as promoting the innovative political studies research being undertaken by women in New Zealand.

The journal opens with a section on New Zealand women political leaders today, including an analysis of Jacinda Ardern’s leadership by Claire Timperley and a collection of new women MP’s reflections of their first year in parliament, collated by Jean Drage.

The articles present four diverse perspectives on the challenges of inequity within sectors and societies, and include contributions by Julie MacArthur and Noelle Dumo on women in the energy sector, Igiebor Oluwakemi on women academic leaders in Nigeria, Gay Marie Francisco on the election of the first openly transgender MP in the Philippines, and Emily Beausoleil on her experiences participating in Ruku Pō.

The reflections present engaging pieces by emerging women researchers. Laura Sutherland makes a feminist case for a Universal Basic Income, Akanksha Munshi-Kurian argues for the need to ‘lean out’, Millie Godfery presents a series of poems from her collection ‘Places not Spaces’, and Sarah Pfander discusses the challenges of achieving restorative justice in NZ’s criminal justice system.

The research briefs show present research being undertaken by women in New Zealand, including by Veronika Triariyani Kanem, Estelle Denton-Townshend, Sylvia Frain, Lara Greaves, Cassandra Lewis and Claire Gray.

Finally, there are four engaging reviews: Margaret Hayward reviews Stardust and Substance (ed. Stephen Levine); Kathryn Cammell reviews ‘Are we there yet?’, the exhibition of women’s suffrage in the Auckland War Memorial Museum; Rae Nicholl reviews Make her Praises Heard Afar: New Zealand Women overseas in World War One, by Jane Tolerton; and Gauri Nandedkar reviews Brit(ish): On race, identity and belonging, by Afua Hirsch.

We hope you enjoy this year’s edition!

Sylvia Nissen and Jean Drage

Co-editors Women Talking Politics 2018

Call for papers

2019 Issue of Women Talking Politics

Co-Editors: TBD

The aim of Women Talking Politics – a mini-journal produced by the New Zealand Political Studies Association – is to promote the work of women political scientists in New Zealand.

We will seeking submissions by New Zealand-based women political scientists (both academic staff and postgraduate students) for the following sections:

1. Research Briefs of 200-300 words. These briefs should present research currently in progress. They are intended to highlight the breadth of work being undertaken by women political scientists in New Zealand.

2. Articles of 800-1,000 words. Following the typical article format, these short essays are intended to allow the readership a deeper look into completed or nearly-completed research projects. Articles will go through a blind peer-review process.

3. Book reviews: We invite undergraduate and postgraduate women students enrolled in political science papers in 2019 to submit reviews of books written by women and/or with a feminist angle. Reviews of recent books published in the last 3 years are encouraged.

4. Creative writing: We particularly encourage female undergraduate students enrolled in undergraduate political science papers in 2019 to submit creative writing pieces on politics, social justice movements, environmental activism and other topics with a feminist angle. The word limit for these pieces is flexible, but ideally it should not exceed 800 words.

Please ensure that all submissions adhere to APA referencing style.

Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis through TBD, and should be emailed to admin@nzpsa.co.nz