[Katja Guenther]Making Their Place : Feminism after Socialism in Eastern Germany(pdf){Zzzzz}

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Review
"Making Their Place is a welcome contribution to the literature of activism, movements, and (feminist) political change. Those interested in feminist organizing will enjoy it and learn from it, as will anyone who wants to explore the dynamics of post-socialist Europe. Her book is a well-argued example of how to think about history, culture and local political contexts in tandem. As more and more studies of social movements rightly draw our attention to the global opportunities for and challenges to grassroots organizing, Guenther reminds us to consider questions of place along with questions of scale." - Benita Roth, Contemporary Sociology "Guenther's book presents a remarkable contribution to scholarly understanding of the women's movement in Eastern Germany. She manages to combine a multitude of perspectives, observations on the developments in eastern Germany as a result of very specific traditions and regional dynamics, and thoughtful comparisons with positions in western Germany, Scandinavia, and the U.S. The study excels in its neutrality towards ideology, thereby delivering some relief from the trench warfare of the 1990s between the 'stepsisters' of the East and the West. Guenther, therefore, may be seen as a representative of a new generation of feminist researchers who will seek to determine the direction of feminist discourse from a greater historical distance." - Ingrid Miethe, German Politics and Society "Guenther's book is an important addition to our understanding of feminism in both Germany and Europe as a whole. Too many accounts of the post-socialist transition note the extraordinary rise of feminist movements in many Eastern European countries in 1989, but then assume that these efforts soon ended in defeat. Guenther shows that feminism, though no longer conspicuous at the national level, is still a vital force in many cities and communities. By emphasizing the relationship between international, national, local, and regional identities, Guenther provides a useful critique of conventional accounts of feminism, which is still presented mainly in national contexts." - Ann Taylor Allen, Women's History Review "Making Their Place is not only well researched but also beautifully written ... While Guenther is clearly a masterful sociologist, she apparently has the patience of a good historian. The book is based on rich data from many years of fieldwork, including a multisite ethnographic study with observations and extensive interviewing, as well as archival research and document analysis ... It is a must-read for scholars of gender politics, women's movements, German feminism and postsocialist studies." - Kathrin Zippel, Gender & Society "The book makes a significant contribution to the on-the-ground understanding of how feminist movements and practices are shaped by the legacies of socialist women's organizing before 1989. The book is elegant and concise, perfect for teaching undergraduate classes about local politics in East Europe and political transformations after socialism ... Overall, the book is a much-needed contribution to current feminist debates, and is perfectly suitable for courses in women's studies, sociology, anthropology, political science and East European Studies." - Kristen Ghodsee, Women's Studies International Forum
About the Author
Katja M. Guenther is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside.

Publisher: Stanford University Press (25 April 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0804770719
ISBN-13: 978-0804770712