Geographies Of New Femininities

Geographies of New Femininities examines the emergence of contemporary constructions of femininity in a global context. It asks whether these femininities are new and suggests that current celebrations of diversity in the lived experience and performance of women's identities are largely Euro-centric. Through four in-depth case studies Geographies of New Femininities illustrates how constructions of femininities across the world reflect gender inequalities embedded within global/local geographies of social and economic change. The analysis brings together key themes in geography and feminist studies, showing how globalisation and the fracturing of identities are influencing research on gender. Throughout the book the authors explore spaces of opportunity and oppression for women and highlight the geographies associated with the negotiation of gender identities. Geographies of New Femininities moves between empirical and theoretical debate using first hand accounts to work through methodological issues relating to gender and geography. It is deliberately written in an accessible style to encourage students to engage with up-to-date research on gender.

Geographies of New Femininities examines the emergence of contemporary constructions of femininity in a global context. It asks whether these femininities are new and suggests that current celebrations of diversity in the lived experience and performance of women's identities are largely Euro-centric. Through four in-depth case studies Geographies of New Femininities illustrates how constructions of femininities across the world reflect gender inequalities embedded within global/local geographies of social and economic change. The analysis brings together key themes in geography and feminist studies, showing how globalisation and the fracturing of identities are influencing research on gender. Throughout the book the authors explore spaces of opportunity and oppression for women and highlight the geographies associated with the negotiation of gender identities. Geographies of New Femininities moves between empirical and theoretical debate using first hand accounts to work through methodological issues relating to gender and geography. It is deliberately written in an accessible style to encourage students to engage with up-to-date research on gender.

Feminist approaches within the social sciences have expanded enormously since the 1960s. In addition, in recent years, geographic perspectives have become increasingly significant as feminist recognition of the differences between women, their diverse experiences in different parts of the world and the importance of location in the social construction of knowledge has placed varied geographies at the centre of contemporary feminist and postmodern debates. Gender, Identity and Place is an accessible and clearly written introduction to the wide field of issues that have been addressed by geographers and feminist scholars. It combines the careful definition and discussion of key concepts and theoretical approaches with a wealth of empirical detail from a wide-ranging selection of case studies and other empirical research. It is organized on the basis of spatial scale, examining the relationships between gender and place from the body to the nation, although the links between different spatial scales are also emphasized. The conceptual division and spatial separation between the public and private spheres and their association with men and women respectively has been a crucial part of the social construction of gendered differences and its establishment, maintenance and reshaping from industrial urbanization to the end of the millennium is a central linking theme in the eight substantive chapters. The book concludes with an assessment of the possibilities of doing feminist research. It will be essential reading for students in geography, feminist theory, women's studies, anthropology and sociology.

This collection of original essays looks at the way in which experiences and representations of femininity are changing, and explores the possibilities for producing 'new' femininities in the twenty-first century. The volume includes a Preface by leading feminist scholar Angela McRobbie.

This book provides a fresh overview on the debate about the remarkable regression of gender equality in the Balkans and South Caucasus caused by the fall of socialism and by the revitalization of religion in Turkey. Contrary to the prevailing opinion of researchers who state continuous male domination, the book presents strong arguments for an alternative outlook. By contrasting the realia of gender relations with the utopia of new femininities and new masculinities driven by digital visual communication, the book provokingly concludes with the arrival of two utopias: the Marlboro Man – still authoritative but lonely – conquering and refusing family obligations; and with the emergence of a new femininity type – strong and beautiful. As such this book provides a great resource to anthropologists, demographers, sociologists, gender and media researchers and all those interested in feminist issues.

Publisher description

Gender and Rural Geography explores the relationship between gender and rurality. Feminist theory, gender relations and sexuality have all become central concerns of geographical research and significant progress has been made in terms of our understanding of both the broad relationship between gender and geography and the more detailed differences in the lives of men and women over space. The development of feminist perspectives and the study of gender relations in geography, has, however, been fairly uneven over the discipline. Both theoretical and empirical work on gender has tended to be concentrated within social and cultural geography. Moreover it has been directed largely towards the urban sphere.

Children's Geographies is an overview of a rapidly expanding area of cutting edge research. Drawing on original research and extensive case studies in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, the book analyses children's experiences of playing, living and learning. The diverse case studies range from an historical analysis of gender relationss in nineteenth century North American playgrounds through to children's experiences of after school care in contemporary Britain, to street cultures amongst homeless children in Indonesia at the end of the twentieth century. Threaded through this empirical diversity, is a common engagement with current debates about the nature of childhood. The individual chapters draw on contemporary sociological understandings of children's competence as social actors. In so doing they not only illustrate the importance of such an approach to our understandings of children's geographies, they also contribute to current debates about spatiality in the social studies of childhood.