The Hungarian Historical Review: International Networks of Women’s Activism and Mobility in Central and East Central Europe 1848–1990

This special issue explores women’s activism in Central and East Central Europe (including the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and its successor states) between 1848 and 1990. It investigates the history of the diverse array of women’s associations in these regions and considers the ways in which these associations established networks and cooperated in their efforts to further women’s rights. It also examines the endeavors of the individual leaders of these movements over longer periods of time and often across international borders or under radically shifting political regimes.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
- To what extent could the 1840s be interpreted as the genesis of women’s activism in the different regions? How did the first groups of women fulfill their traditional roles as wives and mothers while also becoming active as organizers and raising their voices for the emancipation of women? How did they connect with one another?
- How did the women of the next generations make efforts to change the existing social relations? Who were these women who embraced progressive and sometimes radical ideas? How were they involved in the women’s movements?
- What types of networks were formed among women’s organizations in the different regions over the course of a period of decades which bore witness to several political, economic, social, and cultural transformations?
- How did international women’s organizations, such as the International Council of Women (Washington D.C. 1888–), the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (Berlin, 1904–, since 1926 the International Alliance of Women), and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (The Hague, 1915–) influence this process? What kinds of structural inequalities can be observed among the national and international associations?
- How did activism alter women’s citizenship status? Why was it important in this process that certain activists could afford to travel regularly? How did women who could not travel pursue other forms of activism?
- How did women’s associations in the territories inhabited by members of the national and ethnic minorities in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy interact with and relate to Austrian and Hungarian associations before 1918, and how did these relationships change in the interwar period?
- What kinds of conflict patterns can be detected among the associations/activists?
- How were women’s movements in the different regions connected with the national awakenings and the movements for national liberation? How did the discourse of nation building play an important role in the women’s movements in certain regions?
- To what extent did activists from different national backgrounds contribute to the political socialization of women before and after women won the right to vote?
- How did the relationships among the various national associations change over time across political borders? What was the language of communication among them? How did the numerous changes of regimes influence the activism of these women in their home countries and across the borders?
- What kinds of shifting positions can be observed related to women’s associations and women’s activism in the socialist era?

Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words and a short biographical note with a selected list of the author’s three most important publications (we do not accept full CVs) no later than June 30, 2024.

Proposals should be submitted to the special editor of the issue (Dóra Fedeles-Czeferner) by email: Fedeles-Czeferner.Dora@abtk.hu

The editor will ask the authors of selected papers to submit their final articles (max. 10,000 words) no later than January 31, 2025.
The articles will be published after a double-blind peer-review process. We provide proofreading for contributors who are not native speakers of English.
All articles must conform to our submission guidelines: https://hunghist.org/journal-info/submission-guidelines.

The Hungarian Historical Review is a peer-reviewed international quarterly of the social sciences and humanities, the geographical focus of which is Hungary and East-Central Europe. For additional information, please visit the journal’s website: http://www.hunghist.org
Contact Information

Dóra Fedeles-Czeferner: Fedeles-Czeferner.Dora@abtk.hu