The Duck of Minerva

Megan MacKenzie

Megan MacKenzie is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney in Australia. Her main research interests include feminist international relations, gender and the military, the combat exclusion for women, the aftermaths of war and post-conflict resolution, and transitional justice. Her book Beyond the Band of Brothers: the US Military and the Myth that Women Can't Fight comes out with Cambridge University Press in July 2015. https://www.cambridge.org/ee/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/international-relations-and-international-organisations/beyond-band-brothers-us-military-and-myth-women-cant-fight?format=PB

Recent Posts

Welcome New Guest Bloggers!!!

by Megan MacKenzie | 16 June, 2015 |

After much anticipation, nail-biting anxiety, rumors and speculation, we are finally able to announce our new team of guest bloggers!! Below are the eight amazing minds you will see posting regularly over the next six months.* Please make them feel welcome!! Seth Weinberger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics & Government at the University of Puget Sound, where he teaches courses on global security, foreign policy, terrorism, constitutional law, and political philosophy. When not teaching, writing, or blogging, he can generally be found serving his canine master by...

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Female Service Members Need Easier Access to Abortion, Not a Wider Range of Birth Control

by Megan MacKenzie | 27 May, 2015 |

Pregnancy has consistently been treated by the US military as a costly inconvenience, and proof of women's weak, unreliable and unpredictable bodies. In particular, there are concerns about the exceptionally high rates of unplanned pregnancies amongst service members, and the logistics and costs associated with such pregnancies (research indicated service women may be 50% more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy). In an attempt to address these issues, the current defense policy bill that was passed by the House on Friday includes a provision that would force military clinics and hospitals...

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The Olympics of Returning to Work After a Baby

by Megan MacKenzie | 21 May, 2015 |

I had no idea what to expect when I became a parent (who does?), but I was somehow even more baffled by the balancing act/sh@t show involved in transitioning back to work after parental leave. I'm sure my experience isn't unique, and I don't think I was any worse off than other parents or carers, but I was not prepared. Looking back, I realize there are a few key olympic-worthy skills I needed- and attained to make this transition possible. In no particular order, here they are: Hotel Hallway Shuffle: Pacing conference hotel halls with a jet-lagged baby in flannel pj's and trying not to make...

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There is No Lone Wolf Terrorism: but there is anxiety about brown men, loneliness, and mental illness

by Megan MacKenzie | 15 April, 2015 | ,

There's something about 'lone wolf terrorism' debates that stinks. I can't quite find a singular source of the smell, but after further investigation, it seems the relatively recent surge in the use of  the category 'lone wolf' to describe individual acts of political violence draws on extremely rank racist, sexist, and alarmist logic. When you compare the sparse literature on lone wolf terrorism and the slough of articles on the topic, one thing is clear: definitions of lone wolf terrorism are "fuzzy", disparate, and often rely on contradiction and assumptions about mental health and...

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Women’s Integration into Combat Stuck in a Physical Stalemate

by Megan MacKenzie | 23 March, 2015 | ,

Last week 60 Minutes ran a feature called Women in Combat: Cracking the Last All-Male Bastion of the US Military.  The segment, led by David Martin, focused on Marine Infantry Officer training. He finds that, although the Marines are required to integrate women as a result of the removal of the combat exclusion, no women have made it through the rigorous physical training requirements. This re-raises key questions around women in combat: *Do women have what it takes to serve in combat? and *Should the military adjust its standards to accommodate women? Physical standards are- by far- the...

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How to Work Effectively with a Research Assistant

by Megan MacKenzie | 11 March, 2015 |

So you've finally received research funding to hire a research assistant....now what? Attaining resources to get research support is a wonderful thing, but figuring out who to hire and how to work with them can be a challenge. While I have been very fortunate to work with some excellent research assistants, I've also experienced difficult situations where I've hired someone with the wrong skill set, or clearly not mentored or managed the relationship well. These different experiences have taught me a few things about working with research assistants that I hope others find useful. Since I'm...

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ISA’s Sapphire Series – Is Blue the New White?

by Megan MacKenzie | 6 February, 2015 |

*This is a guest post by Cynthia Weber, Professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex As the International Studies Association gears up for its 2015 annual convention in New Orleans, USA, an email announcing its Sapphire Series of panels was sent to ISA members. The email reads: ‘Introducing ISA’s new initiative THE SAPPHIRE SERIES. Covering key issues in the field and in international affairs, these talks will feature scholars discussing current world events, trends in academic research, and new challenges in teaching and learning’. Great idea, it seems to me, so I click...

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How to Lose a Conference in 4 Days: why we attend the ISA to miss the ISA

by Megan MacKenzie | 5 February, 2015 |

I can still remember my first ISA conference. I was a PhD student eager to present early work at the freezing Montreal conference (not the last Montreal, the one before that). I remember being gobsmacked hearing academics talking about how they were booked up with meetings and hadn't attended a single panel. I thought: What did that mean?; What was this 'other' conference or set of meetings happening and why was it happening at the same time as the ISA?; How was it possible to attend the ISA, but not attend any panels? But several years later, as I look at my 'ISA Schedule' I'm struggling to...

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An Ebola Marshall Plan?: How to Stop Ebola and Salvage the Health System in Sierra Leone

by Megan MacKenzie | 27 January, 2015 |

This is a guest post by Dehunge Shiaka, a gender expert in Sierra Leone. This is post #3 of a series he has written on the impacts of Ebola in Sierra Leone (post 1, post 2). How can we ensure that when Ebola ends, Sierra Leone's medical infrastructure and economy doesn't disintegrate with it? Yesterday Oxfam called for an Ebola Marshall Plan to help countries like Sierra Leone, which have been seriously impacted by the deadly virus. This would involve economic interventions in health, education, and sanitation- amongst other areas. But given the slow and late response to the Ebola crisis- is...

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Torture as War Victory: 'Zero Dark Thirty' and the torture reports

by Megan MacKenzie | 10 December, 2014 |

This post is the first of our 'Throwback Thursday" series, where we re-publish an earlier post on a topic that is currently in the news, or is receiving renewed attention or debate. This original post was published February 23rd 2013 (right before the Oscars) but the main arguments about the utility and rational behind torture expressed in the movie may be worth revisiting given the recent release of the CIA's 'torture report.' "This is what winning looks like" I have to confess, I was late to watch "Zero Dark Thirty" (ODT). I read a handful of reviews and blogs about the movie, had...

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