Lessons from Star Wars: Hope
Lola Olufemi wrote, in Feminism Interrupted, “A commitment to disrupting the state's violence when and where we see it takes feminism outside of the realm of words and theories and makes it a living, breathing set of principles. It reminds us that where we can make interventions, we should and that only work that seeks to shake and unsettle the very foundations of the sexist state is feminist work.” One powerful stream of art, Star Wars – particularly Episodes IV, V, and VI – captures this idea profoundly, and also offers meaningful lessons for what feminist foreign policy could be.
For those that aren't familiar, here's a rather oversimplified rundown of what Episodes IV, V, and VI talk about. There are two factions fighting for control over the galaxy - one is the Imperial Government, which is evil, corrupt, and filled with links to the Dark Side of the Force. They're the established, incumbent order. Countering them in the hope of ridding the galaxy of evil, are The Rebels - common people from all walks of life and non-life, fighting power, in association with the Light Side of the Force. They're the Rebel Alliance, the Rebellion, and the Resistance. They're people who don't buy into the corruption and evil villainy of the Imperial Government. My discovery of Star Wars was first as a child - where a lot of the politics simply didn't exist in my mind. Watching it later as an adult - an adult working with feminist foreign policy - made me see so many profound insights that the movement for feminist international relations can learn and draw from.
A caveat: There are plenty of articles that go into whether or not the entire series can be considered feminist, there are arguments around the way the films treat female characters – this piece does not go into these arguments. Instead, it looks at themes that speak to the transformative potential that feminist framing can bring to international relations. In doing so, it does not equate the idea of feminism to merely including women and stirring the mix, but rather looks at a decolonial feminism, one of totality. This piece also specifically draws from Episodes IV, V, and VI, so any mentions of “Star Wars” in this piece is intended to refer to these three instalments out of the entire series.
From the Personal to the Political: A Journey Toward Collective Work
While it is true that Luke Skywalker’s arc is that of the typical hero’s journey, and that he is the one to deal the final blow to end the empire, it is also true that a lot of what he accomplished could not and would not have been what it was without the village of people along the way. From spiritual grounding to knowledge and wisdom, to combat and action, to strategic planning and friendship, Luke’s journey is a tapestry woven by the fine threads of collective work and action.
The collective of rebels comprises an assortment of individuals with individual social and political capital – they’re leaders, teachers, and warriors – and when they arrive to be part of the rebellion, they’re committed to the greater vision, even if it takes some of them time to get there. Each represents a different lived reality, a different experience and identity, and a different seat at the table – but they converge on shared interests. Their effort is not about adding diversity and stirring up the imperial mix, but about a meaningful endeavour to recast the edifice that emerged from an unhealthy accretion of power. In this journey, each confronts the full spectrum of their personalities: Luke is invited to see how there is a propensity for darkness within him, Han Solo is invited to see how being a lone agent working in a silo will only get him so far, Leia is invited to recognize how she can rely on, trust, and work with others instead of having to be hyper-independent.
This is a powerful reminder that hyper-focusing on a hero’s journey will only get us as far as representation by numbers, but not achieve the feminist outcome we want. For a feminist foreign policy to be transformative, we must remember that it is not about individual women making it: but about collective work to dismantle the structural exclusion of marginalized, oppressed, and excluded communities altogether. It also tells us that no action is too small – every step, every effort counts, as opposed to silent bystanding that enables and sometimes even foments harm. As Princess Leila says, “I would rather be a monster that believes in something, that would sacrifice everything to make the galaxy better, than be someone who sits on the sidelines and watches as if it has no consequences to them.”
Reflecting on Power and Practicing Accountability
The Imperial Government is the face of power over: Dominance, control, extraction, occupation, and destruction are all its native tongue. Life is dispensable, power is foundational, and violence is the means to achieve unfettered control. Imperial power exists and operates on the foundation of fear and insecurity, which is institutionalized in its exercise of control and demands for compliance. By contrast, the resistance / rebels / rebellion is not just opposing the use of this power on them, but seeks to go deeper to uproot the system in its entirety. It is not a quest to grab power, but to keep power in check and hold it accountable for its evils. It is not an arms race or a competition for power, but an earnest attempt to prevent the corralling of power in the hands of a greedy, evil few. A key lesson to draw from here, which is also the focus of a truly feminist framework as Dr Toni Haastrup noted is the interrogation of power and centring the practice of accountability.
Technocolonialism / Technorebellion
Imperial technology lies at the heart of its demonstrable power. It possesses massive suites of advanced weaponry, ships, and infrastructure, heavily fortified bases, and overwhelming military force. It maintains control through technology - including communication and surveillance systems, advanced computing systems, and droid technology that helps plan battles, analyze data, and carry out military operations. To the Imperial Government, superior is safer and secure, but only for the Imperial Government whose idea of security stops with protecting its own power. By contrast, rebel technology comprises tech tools that are acquired and modified, and wherever relevant, salvaged. It is inherently limited in terms of both human power and resources, to counter the giant target of the Imperial government. They also rely on the Natural Force to bring down the invincible weapons of the evil Empire – and sit at the cusp of the tension between humanity and technology. By themselves, the rebels don’t look to superior technology for security, but rather use it as a resource to supplement human action. In the face of rapidly advancing technologies today, especially military technology, this is a particularly relevant lesson for feminist foreign policy: We should be interrogating whether such technology needs to exist at all, rather than to modify them to form-fit a feminist idea.
Hope
The full import of the rebellion/resistance/rebels’ engagement in fighting the Imperial Government is built on the edifice of hope. The audacity to imagine differently, and to want to lean in on that imagination to hold the Imperial Government accountable, are actions that are born out of a hope that a different future is possible. Despite being in an unequal power dynamic, the rebel factions don't back down, but continue to show up to fight the Imperial Government. Power in the hands of the powerless thrives on the hopelessness of the powerless – and choosing to rise in hope subverts that destructive use of power. Leaning on feminist approaches and frames to address systemic and structural violence is also as much of an exercise in pursuing hope. Star Wars shows us that hope is a verb, like feminism, which as Lola Olufemi explains in Feminism, Interrupted, is "a political project about what could be. It's always looking forward, invested in futures we can't quite grasp yet. It is a way of wishing, hoping, aiming, at everything that has been deemed impossible."
