Parite!

Scott's clear and historically grounded analysis will help readers understand the intricacies of French politics in general and the parity movement more specifically.--Catherine Raissiguier "Signs" (7/26/2005 12:00:00 AM) "This is an extraordinary book that accomplishes two formidable tasks. Here, Joan Wallach Scott not only deftly guides the reader through the complexities of contemporary debates in France on the subject of parite, a movement that asks for equal representation between men and women in public office, but also situates these debates within the broader context of political representation in France. Parite! will prove an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history of political representation, women's struggle for political equality, and the history of modern France more generally."--Paul Friedland, Bowdoin College --Paul Friedland "Paul Friedland" (7/26/2005 12:00:00 AM) "This book by Joan Wallach Scott, one of the most important feminist historians writing today, is a fascinating and original discussion of the new direction taken by French feminism in the 1990s: the mouvement pour la parite, which demanded that elected offices be filled by men and women in equal numbers. Scott traces the intellectual genesis of the movement, its gaining of strength, its complex interaction with the rights of same-sex couples, and finally its partial success. Intensely thought-provoking, Parite! will be of enormous interest to anyone interested in modern European politics and history, or in feminism."--David A. Bell, The Johns Hopkins University --David A. Bell "David A. Bell" (7/26/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Joan Wallach Scott is professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study. Her most recent book is Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man.