*Originally recorded March 6, 2026*
Global Friday Presents
Dr. Colleen Bell
Associate Professor, Political Science
University of Saskatchewan
Abstract: Feminist Foreign Policy made its debut on the international stage only a decade ago, and already it appears to have been cast aside. It promised an ambitious rethinking of global politics—proposing to reshape approaches to peace and security, trade and development through gender equality, inclusivity, and the empowerment of women and girls. Today, however, its doors have been shuttered due to an increasingly untenable global environment where governments that once championed it have “moved on” and feminist advocates face relentless threats and abuse. And yet, nostalgia often distorts our view of the past. In this talk, I focus on the case of Canada and argue that Feminist Foreign Policy never offered a radical reimagining of international policy. It was always configured in ways that privileged militarism and avoided social transformation. Still, its abandonment is telling, signalling that even this limited challenge to the status quo is no longer tolerated—and that bleaker days lie ahead.
Speakers's Bio: Colleen Bell is an associate professor of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, located on Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Métis. Her research examines the social and colonial politics of Western-led security practices. She is the author of The Freedom of Security: Governing Canada in the Age of Counterterrorism, co-editor of War, Police and Assemblages of Intervention, and current editor of the journal Critical Studies on Security. Her recent work focuses on militarism in feminist foreign policy, the global making of Canadian police, and sexual exploitation in police peacekeeping.