Gender, Feminisms and “Ontological (In)Security”: an integrative review of International Relations literature

Abstract

The concept of "ontological insecurity" was coined in 1960 but gained prominence in International Relations three decades later. Since then, theorists have explored "security of being" to analyze security policies at interstate and intrastate levels, from various perspectives and theories. This article maps and analyzes the International Relations literature that utilizes or engages with this concept, focusing on gender and feminist perspectives. To achieve this, we employed the Integrative Literature Review methodology, collecting 14 articles published in A1 Qualis journals in Political Science and International Relations. The analysis was guided by two questions: a) how is the concept of "ontological security" addressed in the articles? and b) what are the contributions of gender and feminist perspectives to this literature? We observed that few authors directly debate the concept, and even fewer consider realities beyond the Global North. Gender and feminist perspectives offer new insights into the construction of security discourses and narratives, as well as suggesting alternative policies for dealing with uncertainties and anxieties. Despite these contributions, we conclude that the debate on "(in)ontological insecurity" still needs to advance, especially in research considering fractured or ontologically undefined bodies and subjectivities.