Valerie M. Hudson makes the argument that the first political order is the sexual political order established between men and women in every society. The character of this sexual order is deeply political and has cascading effects for a nation’s horizon of stability and prosperity. National security and economic growth is contingent on the value afforded to women’s voices as they co-exist with men. With the assistance of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Minerva Initiative, she and her co-authors have undertaken a massive empirical probe of that argument and will present the highlights of their research in this lecture.

Hudson is Professor and George H.W. Bush Chair in the Department of International Affairs of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where she directs the Program on Women, Peace, and Security. Her research interests include foreign policy, national security, gender and security, methodology, and cystic fibrosis.

This lecture is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Seats are limited!