Although women constitute half of the world's population, their participation in the political sphere remains problematic. While existing research on women politicians from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada sheds light on the challenges and opportunities they face, we still have a very limited understanding of women's political participation in emerging democracies. "Women in Politics and Media: Perspectives From Nations in Transition" is the first collection to de-Westernize the scholarship on women, politics and media by: 1) highlighting the latest research on countries and regions that have not been 'the usual suspects'; 2) featuring a diverse group of scholars, many of non-Western origin; 3) giving voice through personal interviews to politically active women, thus providing the reader with a rare insight into women's agency in the political structures of emerging democracies. Each chapter examines the complex women, politics and media dynamic in a particular nation-state, taking into consideration the specific political, historic and social context. With 23 case studies and interviews from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Russia and the former Soviet republics, this volume will be of interest to students, media scholars and policy makers from developed and emerging democracies.

This edited collection contributes to the theoretical literature on social reproduction-defined by Marx as the necessary labor to arrive the next day at the factory gate-and extended by feminist geographers and others into complex understandings of the relationship between paid labor and the unpaid work of daily life. The volume explores new terrain in social reproduction with a focus on the challenges posed by evolving theories of embodiment and identity, nonhuman materialities, and diverse economies. Reflecting and expanding on ongoing debates within feminist geography, with additional cross-disciplinary contributions from sociologists and political scientists, Precarious Worlds explores the productive possibilities of social reproduction as an ontology, a theoretical lens, and an analytical framework for what Geraldine Pratt has called "a vigorous, materialist transnational feminism.

This collection of essays presents a sampling of film and television texts, interrogating images of U.S. masculinity. Rather than using "postfeminist" as a definition of contemporary feminism, this collection uses the term to designate the period from the late 1980s on-as a point when feminist thought gradually became more mainstream. The movies and TV series examined here have achieved a level of sustained attention, from critical acclaim, to mass appeal, to cult status. Instead of beginning with a set hypothesis on the effect of the feminist movement on images of masculinity on film and television, these chapters represent a range of responses, that demonstrate how the conversations within these texts about American masculinity are often open-ended, allowing both male characters and male viewers a wider range of options. Defining the relationship between U.S. masculinity and American feminist movements of the twentieth century is a complex undertaking. The essays collected for this volume engage prominent film and television texts that directly interrogate images of U.S. masculinity that have appeared since second-wave feminism. The contributors have chosen textual examples whose protagonists actively struggle with the conflicting messages about masculinity. These protagonists are more often works-in-progress, acknowledging the limits of their negotiations and self-actualization. These chapters also cover a wide range of genres and decades: from action and fantasy to dramas and romantic comedy, from the late 1970s to today. Taken together, the chapters of Screening Images of American Masculinity in the Age of Postfeminism interrogate "the possible" screened in popular movies and television series, confronting the multiple and competing visions of masculinity not after or beyond feminism but, rather, in its very wake.

Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in).

From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women – leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and more – have been ignored, forgotten, or actively suppressed. You may not have encountered the likes of Fatima al-Fihri (an Islamic World visionary who founded the world's first university), Ching Shih (the most successful pirate in history), or Huda Sha'arawi (a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragist, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union), but that's about to change.

In What’s Her Name: A History of the World in 80 Lost Women, authors – and sisters – Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson weave together the captivating stories of these fascinating figures to tell an alternative, enthralling and deeply researched historical narrative. A truly global history, What’s Her Name features biographies of incredible women spanning six continents and thousands of years, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to imperial China, the Americas and post-war Europe.

Drawing on years of study and interviews with dozens of experts, this is an entertaining, thought-provoking look at the trailblazing women you may not have heard of (but should have).

Arlette Noirclerc was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and spent her early childhood playing at the royal Chateau de Versailles. Those factors did not, however, lead to the life of leisure and luxury that she might have expected. Growing up in occupied France, Arlette learned early to fear the almighty German army, a fear that she was not released from until she witnessed American soldiers rescue France when they stormed Normandy on D-Day. It was on that day that her interest in America was piqued.

Throughout her life, Arlette has always felt guided spiritually. She grew curious about people and their spiritual philosophy and set out on her lifelong career in fashion, seemingly by chance, when a visit to London landed her a short stint as a representative for the House of Dior. Before long, she was offered a long-term position and the chance to live where her dreams carried her-America.

Arlette faced a series of peaks and valleys, from fame as a fashion designer and courtship by a Moroccan prince to life-threatening surgery and financial wipeouts. All of these things have contributed to her awakening about the laws of the Universe. In her memoir, Arlette's spiritual journey unfolds, demonstrating how, through it all, she was always able to make things work.

This book is the first to present a comprehensive historical picture of the modern Catholic concern with the body and sexuality. The Catholic church is commonly believed to have always opposed birth control and abortion throughout the centuries. Yet the Catholic encounter with modern sexuality has a more complex and interesting history. What was the meaning of sexual purity? Why did eugenics matter to Catholicism? How did the Society of Jesus interpret the idea of overpopulation? Why did Pius XI decide to issue the notorious encyclical Casti connubii on Christian marriage - the first modern papal pronouncement on birth control, abortion, and eugenics? In answering these questions, Lucia Pozzi uncovers new archival and unpublished records to dig into Catholic responses to modern sexual knowledge, showing the Catholic church at times resisting, but also often welcoming, scientific modernity.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

aThis excellent primer traces the development of feminist theories in a legal system to which women and feminists are relatively new. The authors traverse various feminist legal theories, describing their inherent differences, as well as their crucial common ground; their influence on the legal world; their successes both perceived and real; and finally, their dynamic nature, which prime activists and academics for social and political change...The book also raises issues of goals unfulfilled and challenges to come by providing an insightfully provoking discussion of diverse issues. It explores more traditionally afeminista legal topics such as domestic violence and rape, current debates, such as single-sex schools and women in the US military, and larger issues regarding the applicability of feminist legal theories in the face of a shrinking, globalized world.a
--"Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law, and Justice"

aThis excellent primer traces the development of feminist theories in a legal system to which women and feminists are relatively new. The authors traverse various feminist legal theories, describing their inherent differences, as well as their crucial common ground; their influence on the legal world; their successes, both perceived and real; and finally, their dynamic nature, which prime activists and academics for social and political change. . . . The book also raises issues of goals unfulfilled and challenges to come by providing an insightfully provoking discussion of diverse issues. It explores more traditionally afeminista legal topics such as domestic violence and rape, current debates, such as single-sex schoolsand women in the U.S. military, and larger issues regarding the applicability of feminist legal theories in the face of a shrinking, globalized world.a
--"Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law, and Justice"

aThis book is perfectly designed as a text for undergraduates. The writing is lively and accessible; the topic coverage is broad, interesting, and up-to-date; and the subject of feminist legal theory is represented in many forms. Levit and Verchick invite readers to engage in the debate over lawas impact on gendered controversies, and to select solutions from among competing visions of equality.a
--"Choice" (highly recommended)

aFeminist Legal Theory brings together a comprehensive and lucid treatment of feminist theoretical approaches to the most pressing legal problems of our time. This book will serve as an essential desk reference for those who are new to feminist legal theory as well as for those of us who are veterans.a
--Katherine Franke, Columbia Law School

"An important new assessment, wisely crafted, controversial, provocative, unusual, not just another addition to a settled field."
--Susan Estrich, author of "Sex & Power "

"A must-read for those who are interested in how feminist legal thinking has influenced and continues to have an impact on the development of legal rules. I recommend it to all those who are interested in the complex problems that confront women throughout the world in the twenty-first century."
--Theresa Beiner, professor of law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

"Using the multi-faceted lens of feminism, Levit and Verchick circumnavigate contemporary legal theory with an amazing confidence, acute insights, and impressiveenergy. Anyone interested in ways that the law impacts the lives of women (and men) will find this book essential reading."
--Keith Aoki, Philip H. Knight Professor of Law, University of Oregon School of Law

a[C]learly-worded and effective in the presentation of occasionally confusing or conflicting issues and perspectives.a
--"Women, Girls & Criminal Justice"

At long last, the complex field of feminist legal theory is presented in accessible, teachable form by two of its experts, Nancy Levit and Robert R. M. Verchick. In this outstanding primer, the authors introduce the diverse strands of feminist legal theory and the array of substantive legal issues relevant to women's and gender studies. The book centers on feminist legal theories--including equal treatment theory, cultural feminism, dominance theory, critical race feminism, lesbian feminism, postmodern feminism, and ecofeminism. The authors also address feminist legal methods, such as consciousness raising and storytelling.

The primer demonstrates the ways feminist legal theory operates in real-life contexts, including domestic violence, reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, education, sports, pornography, and global issues of gender. Levit and Verchick highlight a sweeping range of cutting edge topics at the intersection of law and gender, such as single sex schools, women in the military, abortion, same sex marriage, date rape, and the international trafficking in women and girls.

At its core, "Feminist Legal Theory" shows the importance of the role of law and feminist legal theory in shaping contemporary gender issues.

A volume in Contemporary Research in Education Series Editor: Terry A. Osborn, University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee Normalites: The First Professionally Prepared Teachers in the United States is a new original work which explores the experiences of three women, Lydia Stow, Mary Swift and Louisa Harris, who were pioneers in the movement in teacher education as members of the first class of the nation's first state normal school established in Lexington, Massachusetts in 1839. The book is biographical, offering new insights derived from exceptional research into the development of the normal school movement from the perspectives of the students. While studies have provided analysis of the movement as a whole, as well as some of the leaders of the initiative, such as Horace Mann and Henry Barnard, there is a lack of rich, published information about the first groups of students. Understanding their accounts and experiences, however, provides a critical foreground to comprehending not only the complexity of the nineteenth century normal school movement but, more broadly, educational reform during this period. Arranged chronologically and in four parts, this book explores the experiences of Lydia Stow, Mary Swift and Louisa Harris during their normal school studies, their entrance into the world and commencement of their careers, the transitions in their personal and professional lives, and the building of their life work. Throughout these periods, their formal educational experiences, as well as broader moments of transformation, are considered and how life paths were shaped. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students and faculty connected to teacher preparation programs. More than 100,000 students are currently awarded baccalaureate degrees each year in Education. Over 80,000 of these students are women. Their experiences are rooted in the pioneering efforts of Lydia Stow, Mary Swift, and Louisa Harris at our nation's first state normal school. It is a particularly fitting time to share their experiences as the 175th anniversary of the start of formal, state sponsored teacher education, the normal school movement, will be celebrated in 2014.

In a state where "majority rules" does not mean a state of democracy, a girl breaks all of the major rules, most significantly her own. In Sacrificing Safety, author Aeon Sage narrates her life story against the backdrop of the rules she believes she has broken-relating to sex, drugs, abortion, obsessions, and irrational reasoning. In this memoir, she shows how she sacrifices her safety in exchange for experiences that lead her to appreciate life more than she could imagine.

A collection of journal entries and poems, Sacrificing Safety provides a glimpse into the mind of someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It tells how Sage coped with life's twists and turns and how she transformed these trials and tribulations into positive lessons. It documents her journey from girl to woman-to professional writer, professional caregiver, professional wife, and professional woman.

Covering sensitive personal issues, Sacrificing Safety shares the best and worst moments of Sage's life as she makes sense of who she is.

Challenging Images of Women and the Media: Reinventing Women's Lives, edited by Theresa Carilli and Jane Campbell, collects fifteen articles addressing the status of women through an examination of depictions of women in the media. This in-depth study shows how mixed messages from the media muddle attempts at breaking the "glass screen," causing women to constantly question their role in global culture. With cake ads followed by diet commercials, the media's depiction of women is both confusing and contradictory. While more and more women have begun to contribute to the media as respected anchors, talk show hosts, and commentators, these portrayals are often counteracted by music videos and reality television shows such as Jersey Shore. This collection seeks to analyze these depictions and their effects on women and culture. The contributors to this anthology hail from such diverse locations as Japan, Australia, Pakistan, India, China, Bulgaria, and the United States. With this global focus, Challenging Images of Women in the Media scrutinizes issues of race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality through a study of gendered media portrayals. By challenging the status quo of media images, the contributors to this essential volume invite a dialogue about women's lives.

Women have always been inextricably linked to food, especially in its production and preparation. This link, which applies cross-culturally, has seldom been fully acknowledged or celebrated. The role of women in this is usually taken for granted and therefore often rendered unimportant or invisible. This book presents a wide-ranging, interdiscplinary and comprehensive feminist analysis of women's central role in many aspects of the world's food systems and cultures. This central role is examined through a range of lenses, namely cross-cultural, intergenerational, and socially diverse.