Globalizing Feminisms, 1789-1945 edited by Karen Offen, presents a coherent, comprehensive, comparative, and much-needed collective history of women's activism throughout the world.

Featuring key pieces on the history of feminism from an international group of scholars, the book charts feminists' attempts to restore a balance of power between the sexes against a backdrop of huge cultural, social and political transitions across the world. The collection covers the period from the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 - a turning point that gave rise to practical efforts to embody principles of rights, liberty, and equality on behalf of women as well as men - up until the end of World War II. The chapters reach out well beyond Europe and the Americas to examine the history of feminisms in Japan, India, China, the Middle East and Australasia.

This diverse body of material is drawn together through a comprehensive general introduction, and individual section introductions. The chapters are also supported by a global timeline of events, and there is a bibliography of further reading.

Contributors include Padma Anagol, Marilyn J. Boxer, Jacqueline R. DeVries, Ellen Carol DuBois, Louise Edwards, Ellen L. Fleischmann, Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild, Patricia Grimshaw, Inger Hammar, Nancy Hewitt, Francesca Miller, Barbara Molony, Karen Offen, Florence Rochefort, Leila J. Rupp, Sandra Stanley Holton, Anne Summers, Ann Taylor Allen, Angela Woollacott and Susan Zimmermann.

Karen Offen is a historian and independent scholar, affiliated as a Senior Scholar with the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University. Her previous publications include European Feminisms, 1700-1950: A Political History (2000).

Be sure to check out other dynamic titles from our Rewriting Histories series, including:

• Global Feminisms since 1945
• Comparative Fascist Studies
• Origins of the Black Atlantic
  

Rewriting Histories focuses on historical themes where standard conclusions are facing a major challenge. Each book presents 10-15 papers (edited and annotated where necessary) at the forefront of current research and interpretation, offering students an accessible way to engage with contemporary debates.