Thinking Differently

This book is the first to ask whether there is a specifically European dimension to certain major issues in Women's Studies. It strives to create a synergetic debate among different disciplines and cultural traditions in Europe, and, in doing so, fills some gaps in our knowledge about women and enriches debates hitherto dominated by Anglo-American influences.

Among the new areas of enquiry opened up in this book by the specificities of European Women's Studies are:

* The fact that Europe has repeatedly experienced warfare on its own territory which has impacted significantly on women. Hence the focus in this volume on women and militarism, and on ethnic cleansing as an attack on the family.

* The abidingly problematic relationship between feminism and anti-semitism, and issues of migration and 'whiteness' in a context where racism reflects the colonial histories of particular European countries.

* The importance of passion and the emotions, as well as psychoanalytical theory, for politics particularly in Southern and Eastern European countries.

* Current problems facing Europe, including the decline of the welfare state, the phenomenon of the 'single' woman, and the relationship between women's rights and human rights.

* The diverse faces of feminist movements in particular European countries.

Reading feminism from a European perspective will enable readers to reflect upon the ways in which changes in political, social and cultural positions and practices over the past century in Europe have impacted on feminist thinking and theorizing. The volume raises important issues about the transfer of feminist concepts across cultures and languages. And to English-speaking audiences the volume also offers fresh viewpoints on some of the key debates in Women's Studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Configuring European Women's Studies - Gabriele Griffin, with Rosi Braidotti

PART 1: WOMEN AS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ENTITIES

1. Feminist Perspectives on the European Welfare State - Harriet Silius

2. Single Women - Tuula Gordon

3. Women's Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Biopolitics in Europe - Marina Calloni

PART 2: CULTURE AND SIGNIFICATION

4. Space and Women's Culture - Liana Borghi

5. European Feminine Identity and the Idea of Passion in Politics - Elena Pulcini and Luisa Passerini

6. Psychoanalysis and Feminism: A European Phenomenon - Maria Serena Sapegno

PART 3: IDENTITY, SUBJECTIVITY AND DIFFERENCE

7. Europe after 1989: The Ethnic Wars, Fascistization of Civil Society and Body Politics in Serbia- Zarana Papic

8. Identities under Threat on the Eastern Borders - Svetlana Slapsak

9. Identity, Subjectivity and Difference: A Critical Genealogy - Rosi Braidotti

PART 4: RACE AND ETHNICITY

10. Feminism and Anti-semitism - Liliane Kandel

11. Diasporic Subjects and Migration in Europe- Sandra Ponzanesi

12. Whiteness and European Situatedness - Gabriele Griffin with Rosi Braidotti

PART 5: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN - EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES

13. Violence against Women in the European Context: Histories, Prevalences, Theories - Carol Hagemann-White

14. Sexual Violence and Ethnic Cleansing - Attacking the Family - Lisa Price

15. Violence, Militarism and War - Jalna Hanmer

PART 6: SEX/GENDER TERMINOLOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

16. The Uses and Abuses of the Sex/Gender Distinction in European Feminist Practices - Rosi Braidotti

PART 7: THE RISES AND FALLS OF WOMEN'S MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE

17. Introduction: Women's Movements and Feminist Research - Ute Gerhard

18. The History of the Feminist Movement in France - Fran‡oise Picq

19. The Women's Movement in Germany - Ute Gerhard

20. The Feminist Movement in Italy - Andreina de Clementi

21. Three Waves of Feminism in Denmark - Drude Dahlerup

22. Histories of the Women's Movements in Norway - Beatrice Halsaa

23. The History of the Hungarian Women's Movement - Andrea Pet”

24. Lacking integration: The Relationship between the Women's Movement and Gender/Women's Studies in the Transitional Slovenia - Renata Scribar

25. Women's Associations and Education in Spain - Maria Suarez Lafuente

About the Authors:

Rosi Braidotti is Professor of Women's Studies and Director of the Netherlands Research School of Women's Studies at Utrecht University. Her books include Nomadic Subjects (Columbia University Press, 1994) and Patterns of Dissonance (Polity Press, 1991). She has also edited many books, including, with Nina Lykke, Between Monsters, Goddesses and Cyborgs (Zed Books) and, with others, Women, Environment and Sustainable Development (Zed Books).

Gabriele Griffin is Professor of Gender Studies at the University of Hull. She is the co-founding editor of the journal, Feminist Theory. Her publications include HIV/AIDS and Representation: Visibility Blue/s (Manchester University Press, 2000) and, coauthored with L. Aitken, Gender Issues in Elder Abuse (Sage, 1996) and Heavenly Love? Lesbian Images in 20th Century Women's Writing (Manchester University Press, 1993).