Women, Empires, and Body Politics at the United Nations, 1946-1975

Women, Empires, and Body Politics at the United Nations, 1946–1975, explores how women's bodies were at the center of the international politics of women's rights in the postwar period. Giusi Russo focuses on the United Nation Commission on the Status of Women and its interactions with the colonial and postcolonial worlds, showing how liberal, imperial, and transnational feminisms could coexist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 03 April 2023
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Women, Empires, and Body Politics at the United Nations, 1946–1975, delves into the captivating narrative of how women's bodies became the focal point of international politics concerning women's rights during the postwar era. Giusi Russo's insightful work centers on the United Nation Commission on the Status of Women and its intricate engagements with the colonial and postcolonial realms. Through a meticulous examination, Russo unveils how liberal, imperial, and transnational feminisms coexisted, depending on the specific context and the inquiries at hand.

Russo argues that in the initial phases of identifying discriminatory agents in women's lives, UN commissioners initially overlooked the nation-state and instead focused on combating discrimination without explicitly identifying the perpetrator. However, it was the emphasis on empire that facilitated a clear recognition of how gender constructs played a pivotal role in state politics and contributed to the marginalization of women. Furthermore, a focus on colonial practices led to a profound shift in the commissions politics, moving from a formal pursuit of equality to a gender-based equilibrium of rights that prioritized practical outcomes over legal frameworks.

By employing a multidisciplinary approach, Russo delves into the experiences of women living under colonial and postcolonial systems as the primary agents in shaping the politics of women's rights at the United Nations. Through her meticulous research, Russo sheds light on the complex interplay between gender, empire, and the international political landscape, offering a rich and nuanced understanding of this critical period in global history.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496205810