Women and diplomatic life: an overview with methodological directions and proposals

Abstract

This chapter has two primary objectives. First, I will offer a systematic review of the academic literature on the paths of women who circulated in various diplomatic circles throughout history. In particular, I will focus on publications from the last two decades that have endeavoured to renew the study of diplomatic history in several different fields, including cultural history, political history, women’s history, and (to a lesser extent) the branch of international relations related to gender. In the hopes of contextualising a diverse body of work that has been produced in parallel disciplines that do not always intersect, I have limited my focus to three broad geographic regions: Western Europe, English-speaking North America, and Latin America. Based on my readings and reflections, I will offer a potential reading list for future study on this topic. Secondly, I will draw on experiences from the research I have conducted in recent years to propose a series of profiles that can help us study the lives of Latin American women in the nineteenth century and the period leading up to the First World War. I will also offer a few methodological reflections for studies on these women. I hope that this text will be, in part, an invitation to broaden these lines of inquiry and incorporate other parts of the world and other profiles that will enrich our understanding of women’s role in diplomacy.