Women Across Cultures A Global Perspective

This text examines and documents the issues women face in terms of lower status and lower power around the world and across cultures. The book then discusses what is being done from the local to the global level to address women's issues, empowering women and promoting women's equal rights.

Women Across Cultures examines contemporary women's issues and empowerment from a global perspective. Gender inequality is examined as a historical, sociocultural phenomenon within the context of interlocking systems of inequality such as racism, colonialism, and economic injustice. A strong emphasis is given to the variety of approaches and actions women take to promote gender equality and to influence women's progress. The influence of intersectional and contextual factors on women's issues, activism, and movements are a key focus.

The American Historical Association's Committee on Women Historians commissioned some of the pioneering figures in women's history to prepare essays in their respective areas of expertise. This volume, the second in a series of three, collects their efforts. As a counterpoint to the broad themes discussed in the first volume, Volume 2 is concerned with issues that have shaped the history of women in particular places and during particular eras. It examines women in ancient civilizations; including women in China, Japan, and Korea; women and gender in South and South East Asia; Medieval women; women and gender in Colonial Latin America; and the history of women in the US to 1865. Authors included are Sarah Hughes and Brady Hughes, Susan Mann, Barbara N. Ramusack, Judith M. Bennett, Ann Twinam, and Kathleen Brown. Incorporating essays from top scholars ranging over an abundance of regions, dates, and methodologies, the three volumes of Women's History in Global Perspective constitute an invaluable resource for anyone interested in a comprehensive overview on the latest in feminist scholarship.

GENDER IN HISTORY Praise for the first edition: “Wiesner-Hanks ... accomplishes a near-impossible feat - a review of what is known about the construction of gender and the character of women’s lives in all known cultures over the course of human history .... Theoretically sophisticated and doing justice to the historical and cross-cultural record, yet assimilable by students.” Choice “Gender in History brilliantly explores the influence of gender constructs in political, social, economic, and cultural affairs. The remarkable cultural, geographical, and chronological range of Wiesner-Hanks’ research is matched only by the sophistication, nuance, and clarity of her analysis. This book offers a rare and valuable global perspective on gender roles in human history.” Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawaii Over the past two decades, considerations of gender have revolutionized the study of history. Yet most books on the subject remain narrowly focused on a specific time period or particular region of the world. Gender in History: Global Perspectives, Second Edition, continues to redress this inequity by providing a concise overview of the construction of gender in many world cultures over a period stretching from the Paleolithic era to modern times. Thoroughly updated to reflect current developments in the field, the new edition features entirely new sections which address primates, slavery, colonialism, masculinity, transgender issues, and other relevant topics. As in the well-received first edition, material is presented thematically to reveal the connections between gender and structures such as the family, economy, law, religion, sexuality, and the state. Wiesner-Hanks also investigates precisely what it meant to be a man or woman throughout history; how these roles were shaped by various institutions; and how they in turn were influenced by gender. The author presents material within each chapter chronologically to highlight the ways in which gender structures have varied over time. The new edition of Gender in History: Global Perspectives offers rich insights into all that is currently known about gender roles throughout world history. A companion website is available at www.wiley.com/go/wiesnerhanks

II: WOMEN AND HEALTH

Combining Catholic social teaching, feminist and African liberation theology, and the social sciences, Joseph Loïc Mben, SJ, develops a contextual gendered African Christian social ethic that addresses the oppression and marginalization of working women in Sub-Saharan Africa. He focuses primarily on African women from working and poor classes living in either urban or rural settings, particularly in Cameroon, and thus shows the necessity of inflecting Catholic social teaching along the differential of gender.

"Creating Across Cultures is a collection of stories about visionary Asian women who have journeyed outside their comfort zones to expand their artistic horizons. It celebrates the achievements of sixteen women in the arts from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan-a region of diverse cultures, languages, and histories. Creating in a range of literary, visual, and performing arts, these women must often defy cultural and social expectations in order to heed their artistic drive. Their personal histories open windows onto the larger, historical trajectory of Greater China over three generations while their art work delves into social realities and challenges of the day. The stories are based on personal interviews and professional archives and written by a team of arts specialists, journalists, and academics who bring these accounts to light in English for the first time. Richly illustrated with images of artworks and performances as well as historical photographs, the collection reveals the vibrancy, relevance, and universality of the work of creative women in the region. In bringing these women's stories together in one book, editor Michelle Vosper illuminates the value of the exchange of arts and ideas across borders and cultures, while offering inspiring role models for women aspiring to careers in the arts."--Publisher's description.