The absence of gender in Canadian foreign policy: Candian policies toward South Africa

Using a postcolonial feminist perspective, this thesis investigates gender in Canadian foreign policy toward South Africa, specifically toward HIV/AIDS programs, during the Harper era. This thesis shows that other than a superficial inclusion in the discourse, there was an absence of gender in Canadian foreign policy, under the Harper government. Moreover, there was a lack of attention paid to the complexity of HIV/AIDS and GBV intersection, and there was only a shallow effort by DFATD to prompt inclusion of gender while local practitioners had a keen understanding of the intersection. The absence in the Harper government discourse and practice showed a lack of understanding of the complexity of the issue, which is the lived experience of those on the ground in South Africa.