Open Societies? Connections between Women’s Activism, Globalization and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

After the cloud of the Cold War lifted, a meaningful exchange of information about the political and social conditions in Eastern Europe emerged with new-found hope. Twenty years after the regime transformation, the dust may have settled enough after the dramatic change of guards in the postcommunist region to produce an account of how well democratization and diversity have fared, especially with gender perspective in mind. Women’s issues in the postcommunist transitions became one of the most challenging issues in this exchange, in terms of both the practice and theory of democracy and diversity. The focus on women provides a much-needed dialogue across the historically entrenched lines of separation between East and West and communist times and contemporary democratization. The lessons emerging from women’s activism in Central and Eastern Europe can provide a bridge between Western and Third World feminist analyses. Women’s groups increasingly enter into contact with various international organizations in their efforts to pressure governments and change popular perceptions of women’s status.