Women Past and Present: Biographic and Multidisciplinary Studies
In Western societies, many traditional feminist claims have already been fulfilled both in law and in official discourse. Indeed, legislative steps have already been taken towards securing civil and political rights and equal opportunities for women. This, of course, is not the case in many other regions of the world, as some of the chapters in this book clearly testify. Yet, notwithstanding the gains achieved in Western societies, residual forms of resistance and prejudice still persist in discourses, categories and discriminative practices in this so-called “post-feminist” era. Furthermore, new manifestations of asymmetries in gender relations and new ways of thinking and experiencing subjectivity are currently emerging, as a result of growing globalisation, economic crises, migration patterns, female sex and labour trafficking, trans-nationalism, and new technologies, not to mention the beauty and body sculpting industries.
Maria Zina Gonçalves de Abreu is Associate Professor at the University of Madeira, and Senior Researcher at ULICES-Ceaul (Research Centre of American Studies), University of Lisbon, Portugal. Her main areas of expertise are English and American cultural studies, but she has also dedicated much of her academic and research activities to women’s studies.
Steve Fleetwood is Professor of Human Resource Management and Employee Relations at the University of the West of England, and has two areas of expertise. He specialises in all aspects of (paid and non-paid) work and employment, ranging from how men and women find jobs via labour markets, to what they do, and how they are managed, once in the workplace. He also specialises in the application of the philosophy of social science, especially critical realism, to organisation, management, work and employment studies, labour economics, human resource management, and employee relations.
“This intriguing and useful volume locates gender differences and inequalities in a global perspective, illuminating divergences and similarities between countries and cultures. Fascinating chapters explore the contributions of notable women in different epochs, while others tackle some of the key issues currently facing women, such as violence, sexual trafficking and body politics, offering sophisticated and nuanced accounts of gender in a globalizing age.”
—Harriet Bradley, Professor of Women’s Employment,University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
“This collection critically appraises women whose self-awareness vis-a-vis individual and group practice has been partly responsible for the change in traditional societal relations considered in historical perspective. The diverse approaches used to examine the exercise of equal rights, and diagnose the enduring inequalities across the ages, offer a coherent background for the analysis of contemporary accelerated mutation and the increasing breaking down of conventional boundaries. The collection offers a unique contribution and steers the canon of Women Studies in new directions.”
—Teresa F. A. Alves, Professor of American Studies, CEAUL/University of Lisbon
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