In 1990, a small group of women convened a meeting to inaugurate a new ISA section developed to feminist theory and gender studies. At that time, recorded membership in the section stood at 23 members. After numerous years of finding feminist analysis missing from or marginalized in most ISA panels and discussions, Christine Sylvester and V. Spike Peterson worked to create a new section. A timeline of how this took place can be found here.  You can also read Christine Sylvester's article about feminist theory and gender studies in International Relations.  

We have left intact the archive of section newsletters that chronicle how we got from "there" to "here" - this archive will soon be searchable. Today, FTGSS has grown to over 200 members. In its first year, FTGSS offered 5 sessions during the 1990 ISA Annual Meeting.  Now, FTGSS offers more than twenty sessions at ISA Conferences.  A member of the FTGSS Section, Dr. J. Ann Tickner, is the President of the International Studies Association  for 2006-2007!

We are looking to substantially expand the history section of the FTGSS website.  We would like to include narratives from the founding members and from current members about the history and evolution of the section.  If you would like to participate in the project, please volunteer.  Because this archiving project is particularly important to FTGSS, if you do not volunteer, you will be recruited! We do know who you are . . .