East–South Women Internationalism at the Cold War Periphery

Yulia Gradskova is Associate Professor of History and research coordinator at the Center for Baltic and East European Studies at Södertörn University, Sweden. Gradskova is the author of The Women’s International Democratic Federation, the Global South and the Cold War: Defending the Rights of Women of the ‘Whole World’? (2020), and Soviet Politics of Emancipation of Ethnic Minority Women. Natsionalka (2018).

• Introduction: Women’s Gatherings at the Periphery: A Critical Perspective on Cold War “East-South” InternationalismsChapter 1: Coming Together for a “Better Future?” Contexts, Places, and MemoriesChapter 2: Women Going Places: Between Political Duties and the Tourist GazeChapter 3: South-East Women’s Internationalism from Tashkent: Building a (Post)Colonial Sisterhood?Chapter 4: The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and Internationalism from Havana Chapter 5: Internationalism, “Care for Mothers,” and Reproductive Rights Chapter 6: East-South Women’s Networks and Education for Women: Visions, Discussions, and Practices Chapter 7: A School that “Opens up the World?” Latin American Women Taking a Course in HavanaFinal ReflectionsAppendix: Archival Sources, Periodicals, and Oral SourcesBibliographyIndex

Gradskova’s analysis beautifully outlines dimensions of women’s political lives and selves that are frequently overlooked in studies of the Cold War. This book brings to life meetings, strategies, discussions and debates in which women proposed visions of a better future and fought for what they believed. It should be essential reading for anyone interested in how women aspired to shape the decolonizing world.