Gender, Development, Interdisciplinary Research and International Relations

There has been a recent trend towards academic research and writing from multi and interdisciplinary perspectivess. The trend has been celebrated by some of the leading universities of the world where cross appointments have become increasingly popular. This paper will first focus on the importance of interdisciplinary research and the role it has played in creating the field of gender and development. It argues that unequal international relations is vital to this field of research. It will also discuss how attempts to overcome unequal international relations will bring immense benefit to the field of gender and development— a field that can be enriched by indigenous knowledge. Moreover، it can overcome some of the existing assumptions and stereotypes about the situation of women in third world countries.