Against the Wind of Change: An Auto-ethnographic Account on Gender Relations in the Diplomatic Sector of Post-communist States

Abstract

The article sets оut to investigate gender-related challenges in the diplomatic work of post-communist diplomatic institutions, with a focus on Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It draws on the author’s own experience as a diplomat and takes an auto-ethnographic perspective in order to elucidate from within the daily routines, working life and gender relations at Bulgaria’s Foreign Office. The research provides unique first-hand access to the institutional and micro-political context in which Eastern European diplomats perform and develop. It brings greater nuances to the understanding of gender and diplomatic work and unpacks important issues that have remained invisible in mainstream diplomacy studies such as the complex and sensitive contemporary interactions between gender, diplomacy, and the national security and intelligence departments.