Contemporary Western European feminism

About this book

This book marks the arrival of a major new history that introduces the reader to the events, trends and ideas that have marked the development of feminism as a social and ideological movement in Western Europe during the late twentieth century. The volume begins with an overview of the character and development of European feminism and a lengthy discussion of the status of women vis-a-vis technology, domestic work, politics, labor and civil liberty. Kaplan, who is fluent in seven languages, then outlines the postwar history of each country--Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland--drawing on numerous primary documents to provide the most comprehensive analysis to date of women's movements in this region of the world. Illustrating the entire kaleidoscope of European women's movements in their historical and political context, this book is essential reading for students of women's studies and activists for whom it provides both an introduction to European feminism and a vast bibliography for further reading; social movements scholars for its discussion of the various ways movements in individual countries evolved and for its analysis of different paradigms of action; and theorists and single country specialists for whom the book provides a rich basis for comparison.