Heidi Kurvinen – författare

This edited collection aims to look beyond established narratives of feminist history, by focusing on non-English speaking European countries. Recent scholarship on the history of the women’s liberation movement in individual countries has enhanced our understanding of the importance of transnational influences in the history of European feminism, and problematised the periodisation of feminisms. Additionally, the translation of feminist practices and texts have received interest during the past years. Despite this work, the United States, and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, are still the main points of reference in histories of post-war feminism. This book asks what happens to the picture if we place non-English speaking European countries in the centre. Using Lucy Delap’s concept of ‘mosaic feminism’, its contributors emphasise the variety of patterns that women’s feminist organising showed in different cultural contexts despite similarities in their ideological corner stones. 

This book focuses on the discussion of the women’s liberation movement and feminism in Finnish print media between 1968 and 1985. By analysing this topic, the book demonstrates that a relatively well-developed state of gender equality in a society does not necessarily result in fertile ground for feminist activism. On the contrary, it may hinder the success of more radical claims presented by feminists, and mass media serves as a central player in this. Consequently, the book enhances our understanding of the mechanisms that prevent societies from reaching complete equality, and it shows how cultural specificities influence the ways in which transnational ideas of feminism are adopted in a local context. This is shown by analysing the dialogic relationship between journalists and feminist activists as well as the mediated negotiations of the meanings of feminism within the women’s movement.

Trots att kvinnorörelsen har en över hundraårig historia, och feministiska teman diskuterats offentligt dubbelt så länge, ses feministiska värderingar sällan som något neutralt. Här visas att rörelsen varit en viktig drivkraft i det västerländska moderniseringsprojektet. Länge stod kvinnors rättigheter i främsta rummet, men från slutet av 1900-talet har betoningen legat på jämlikhet mellan människor. 

Ingår i serien Värt att veta. Ges ut i samarbete med Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland.