Gender Politics and Post-communism

In the wake of communism's decline, women's concerns have become increasingly important in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The issue of abortion, for example, has been bitterly contested in virtually all the countries. Women in Eastern Europe have wondered what role they might play in post-communist restructuring and how they might ally themselves with Western women. Yet most discussions of post-communist changes have neglected women's experiences. "Gender Politics and Post-Communism" is the first of its kind, presenting original essays by women scholars, politicians, activists, and former dissidents from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. They discuss gender politics during the turbulent transition and crises of post-communism, offering vivid accounts and analyses of the conditions facing women in each country. These essays provide the philosophical, economic, historical, cultural, and sociological contexts needed to understand women's position in post-communism and the possibilities for women's activities. The book aims to provoke public discourse on the myriad issues facing women in Eastern Europe. The essays cover such topics as nationalism, and the economic transformation.