The articles in this book share a dedication to broadening and stretching the scholarly field of feminist citizenship studies and invite the reader to reflect on the many different ways citizenship is formed in contemporary Europe. They do so by stretching the concept of citizenship itself, going beyond legalistic definitions, and by asking new questions about the ways in which citizenship is constructed, the entitlements to benefits, and to social and political participation, how cultures of knowledge allow participation and how inclusion and exclusion can be represented. In all cases «gender» is one of the categories that allow a deeper insight and a better perception of the way the ideals of citizenship have helped people to overcome exclusion. As the articles show, access to citizenship differs from context to context. Citizenship is never only a legal status: it has to do with cultural diversity, with recognition of difference, with access to professions and hierarchies on the labour market, not least in universities with traditions in political as well as visual representation. The collection is an introduction to new research in the field of European gender studies.
