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In her new book, Katalin Fabian, associate professor of government and law, contrasts the stages of development in organization, membership, and activism of Hungarian women’s groups over the last two decades. Contemporary Women’s Movements in Hungary: Globalization, Democracy, and Gender Equality will be released this month by Johns Hopkins University Press.
Fabian’s research centers on the effects of globalization on women’s activism in the post-communist European context, and investigates the quality of democracy and equality. She has shared her work through numerous articles, book chapters, and international conference presentations. Her previous book, Globalization: Perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe, was released in 2007 by Elsevier Press.
“This focus necessitates an interdisciplinary approach because the methods and the literature of political science, sociology, economics, policy studies, and history all explain different aspects of the interactions among events, actors, and institutions,” Fabian says.
The new book focuses on the role of women’s activism in a country where women have been traditionally under-represented in formal political institutions.
“The nature of women’s activism has changed from broad themes and loose organizations to small, often professionalized, and, most noticeably, globally interconnected groups frequently focused on a single or narrow set of issues. I have found that women’s groups have increasingly entered into contact with various international organizations in their efforts to pressure governments and change popular perceptions of women’s status. I argue that these groups have altered their structure, aims, and strategies as a result of this increasing transnational interconnectedness, and that globalization has fundamentally influenced whether and how they succeed in making an impact,” Fabian says.
The extensive research required for the book included observations in meetings and protests; interviews with leading female activists; and collecting a wide variety of written documents, including archival materials, contemporary newspaper reviews, and the groups’ own literature.
Fabian involved four student researchers in the book’s production through the EXCEL Scholars program. Al-Amin Kheraj ’08 and international affairs major Eva Neykova ’10 (Sofia, Bulgaria) assisted with checking data and preparing the book’s bibliography. Danielle Pollaci ’06 and Richard Lear ’06 helped during the earlier stages of the research.
The book may become part of the curriculum for Fabian’s classes. She is considering using segments of the book in her course the Politics of Russia, East Central Europe, and Central Asia, which she will teach during the spring semester of 2010, and may find that it fits into other classes in the future.
Fabian has received many honors, awards, and prizes, including grants from the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the International Research and Exchanges Board, and the Ford Foundation. Lafayette presented her with the Student Government Superior Teaching Award in 2004.