Diversity Thursday

JPME 1, Critical Theory, and Feminism

Last week we looked at the Naval War College. We’ll call that Episode 1. Time for Episode 2.

Well, for the Naval War College of the service that considers itself, if not the largest, then at least the most capable navy on the planet, I am sure this is a very serious course. All reasonable people do.

Let’s take a look at the course overview, policies, and objectives.

Nice. Let’s look over the course offerings, shall we?

Wait…what is that we see on page 19?

Oh, what fresh hell is this? Constructivism and Feminism. Of course.

Let’s review how this helps us against the threat on the other side of the International Date Line.

This session introduces the idea of critical theory.

Yes, that “critical theory.” Remember all the people who rolled their eyes this way when I warned for the last two decades about the march of cultural Marxism in our Navy’s centers of education.

This is the textbook definition of “critical theory” for those not yet up to speed.

“Critical Theory” .. refers to the work of several generations of philosophers and social theorists in the Western European Marxist tradition known as the Frankfurt School.

Over three after the fall of the Soviet Union, that former empire has thrown away Marxism from its military, but the Naval War College is injecting it into ours.

Let’s continue.

Feminism questions the role of assumptions about gender (and often ideas like race, class, and nationality) in how actors understand how the world works and why things happen the way they do.

How does this go with the recent Executive Order about getting rid of DEI, CRT, etc?

In “Discussion Questions”, #4 is, well, just look at it.

How does using gender as a lens to analyze security, war, and peace, offer a fuller understanding of issues central to the study of international security and U.S. foreign policy?

Let me guess, with the steering words of “fuller” and “central”, an answer of “It doesn’t.” will not get you far in this class.

There is something else here that is a bit off. On the “Required Preparation…”

Enloe, Cynthia. “Gender Makes the World Go Round: Where are the Women?” in Bananas, Beaches and Bases, 2014. (READ 1-13 and 28-36)

I’m sorry, that isn’t the full title. The full title is, Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics. The cover of the first edition is, interesting.

I am quite entertained by how the AI at Google Books describes the content.

That, my friends, is what the leadership at the Naval War College are investing your tax dollars—and money borrowed in the name of children yet unborn—in.

I think that might be fine if Oberlin College’s Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies wants to offer it as an elective, but at the U.S. Naval War College? Really? Is this really the highest and best use?

So, I have gathered a whole slew of items from the Naval War College over the last few months that is really too much for one post, so I am going to spread the joy around the next few Thursdays…so don’t miss any.

Episode 3 next week.

Same Salamander Thursday. Same Salamander Substack.