"In Varieties of Feminism Myra Marx Ferree provides a compelling history of contemporary German feminism, which she contrasts with the history of the American women''s movement. Ferree''s comparative strategy is successful. In demonstrating the importance of opportunity structures, Ferree contributes to feminist theory regarding intersectionality as discourse and practice, showing the importance of national political and historical context. This is an impressive book that will appeal to practitioners as well as scholars of the women''s movement and social movements more generally."--Suzanne Staggenborg, Mobilization "[Ferree''s] clear, dispassionate, and deeply researched analytical history doubles as a comparative study of modern social policies . Recommended."--E. A.

Danto, Choice "Breaking new ground in the study of comparative feminisms, this beautifully written and engaging book situates feminist activism in relation to changing gender regimes and gender orders within Germany, the US, the EU, and the UN system itself. Ferree''s astute analyses of grassroots mobilizations, cultural production, NGOization, state feminism, gender mainstreaming, and supranational negotiation guarantee that this book will become a feminist classic."--Mary Hawkesworth, Rutgers University "Too often, American feminism is assumed to be a global norm, but in this excellent comparative work, Ferree reveals that this is not the case. The book explores a variety of women''s movements across national settings and provides true insights into the promotion of women''s rights in other countries. A tour de force!"--Amy G. Mazur, Washington State University "In light of her unmatched body of work on the comparative development of feminism in Germany and the U.S., I assumed that Ferree had exhausted her insights on the topic.

I was wrong. In this extraordinary book, she pulls together, integrates, and provides historical context for her prior work. The result is not only the definitive book on the topic, but one of the very best books ever written on the comparative development of a movement."--Doug McAdam, Stanford University " Varieties of Feminism is both a magisterial history of the German women''s movement and a provocative rethinking of feminism in its different national and global incarnations. Challenging the theoretical dominance of the U.S. model of feminism, Ferree brilliantly argues that developments in Germany provide a better guide to the future trajectory of women''s struggles around the world."--Leila J.

Rupp, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of Worlds of Women: The Making of an International Women''s Movement "In telling the story of the institutionalization of gender politics in Germany over the past half century, Ferree provides rich theoretical insights for understanding the specific ways in which gender intersects with other inequalities in the United States and in numerous other countries as well."--William Gamson, Boston College "The history of the German women''s movement is compelling in itself, but it is also an important demonstration of the errors of imagining feminism everywhere on the model of a dominant U.S. liberalism. National trajectories are varied, and gender issues woven in different ways into political, cultural, and personal histories. Ferree''s story is one in which power relations slow progress, but also one in which incremental changes produce large results. And though focused on the past, it helps us see the openness of the future."--Craig Calhoun, New York University " Varieties of Feminism is a breathtakingly accomplished amalgam of feminist history, theory, and politics.

With astute comparisons of German feminisms past and present and feminism in the United States and other European countries, Ferree interweaves theoretical and political analysis of liberal and socialist politics of gender to illuminate how feminist theory tu.