Generations of Feminism and Gender Studies in Europe

by Jennie Bristow (Contribution by), Ursula Apitzsch (Contribution by), Consuelo Corradi (Contribution by), Stellamarina Donato (Contribution by), Elina Oinas (Contribution by)

Overview

How did feminism shape the rise of gender studies in Europe?

Using a generational lens, this book offers fresh insights and perspectives on the ongoing development and establishment of gender studies in Europe. With contributions from pioneering women scholars who built and sustained the European Sociological Association’s Research Network 33, it provides an unprecedented history of how feminism and women’s studies was the catalyst for a gender turn in academic thought.

Highlighting the interdisciplinary innovations feminism brought to the field, this is a vital exploration of the lasting impact of generations of scholars on European and global gender studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529243437
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	01/29/2026
Series:	Generations, Transitions and Social Change
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192

About the Author

Elisabetta Ruspini is Professor of Sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca.

Ana Vidu is Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jennie Bristow is Reader in Sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University and an Associate of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies at the University of Kent.
Consuelo Corradi is Professor of Sociology and Vice-Chair for research and international relations at Lumsa University, Rome, Italy. She served as co-Chair of the Cost Action IS1206 on Femicide across Europe. She was Vice-President of the European Sociological Association from 2007 to 2009. Her research interests include violence against women, femicide, and the cross-national comparison of gender policy regimes across Europe. Her most recent book is “The concept and measurement of violence against women and men” (Policy Press, 2017), co-authored with S. Walby and others.
Elisabetta Ruspini is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy). Since 2012 she has coordinated the Research Section “Studi di Genere” (Gender Studies), part of the AIS (Associazione Italiana di Sociologia-Italian Sociological Association). She is a board member of the ESA Research Network 33 “Women’s and Gender Studies” and has extensive teaching and research experience on gender issues. She has published a number of books, articles and contributed papers to many conferences.

Table of Contents

Series Editor Preface – Jennie Bristow

1. Introduction: The Generational Lens Applied to Gender Studies – Elisabetta Ruspini and Ana Vidu

Part I: Generations and Gendered Knowledge

2. From Feminism to Gender Studies: The Generational Thread – Elisabetta Ruspini

3. Generational Experiences of ‘Gendering Social Sciences’ in Europe and the Transnational Transformation of the Gender Order – Ursula Apitzsch

4. Exploring the Institutional Relationship Between Feminism, Gender Studies and Sociology in Europe – Consuelo Corradi and Stellamarina Donato

5. Generations in Context – Personal Orientations in Feminist Sociology Over Time and Space – Elina Oinas

Part II: From Feminism to Gender Studies: Opportunities and Challenges in Different Cultures

6. From Smuggling to Mainstream: Development of Women’s and Gender Studies in the Academic Field in Slovenia – Jasna Podreka, Milica Antić Gaber and Veronika Tašner

7. From Emancipationists to “Dziewuchy”, the Formation of the Feminist Movement and Women’s Studies in Poland (1918–2023) – Barbara Kijewska and Elzbieta Czapka

8. Tracing the Institutional Journey: Gender Studies in Türkiye – Yeliz Kendir-Gök and Nilay Çabuk Kaya

9. An Intergenerational View: Attitudes Towards Gender Violence Against Women in Palestinian-Arab Society in Israel – Tal Meler and Raghda Alnabilsy

10. Embodied Crossings. Migration, Memories and Identities Across the Mediterranean – Monica Massari, Federica Cabras and Simona Miceli

11. Conclusions: Charting the Future of Gender Studies: Challenges, Transformations, and European Horizons – Ana Vidu