Search -
Unfinished Transitions: Women and the Gendered Development of Democracy in Venezuela, 1936-1996
Unfinished Transitions Women and the Gendered Development of Democracy in Venezuela 19361996 Author:Elisabeth J. Friedman, Elisabeth J. Friedman An exploration of the conditions under which womens organizing is most and least likely to succeed during processes of democratization. "This is a major contribution to the field in several areas as it sits in the intersection of democratic transitions and consolidation, political institutions and civil society, social movements and gende... more »r politics. It takes a new approach to explaining the outcomes of women's organizing efforts by using gender analysis to explain the impact of political institutions on women's mobilization. That is, it focuses on gender relations, not just women's actions. It presents new empirical evidence, offers an original interpretation, and advances theoretical development. Moreover, by placing Venezuela in comparative perspective, it allows us to push further in developing generalizations for both theory-building and policy recommendations." Jennifer McCoy, Georgia State University "Elisabeth Friedman offers a clear-eyed look at how womens political participation has evolved in Venezuela, where women have been successful at putting together effective coalitions on specific issues but continue to be politically marginalized. Because she is writing about Venezuela, which remained democratic while much of the region fell under military rule in the 1960s and 1970s, Friedman has an opportunity to think in longer historical terms about womens roles in democratization. She presents the case in a highly readable narrative style with thoughtful analysis of its implications for womens political strategies in the region and, implicitly, in all democratizing states." Jane Jaquette, Occidental College This analysis of Venezuelan womens organizing traces a sixty-year struggle to democratize political practice and represent womens interests. It also helps to explain some of the "unfinished business" of Latin American democratization: why women have had difficulty participating in regimes they fought to restore, and how they seek inclusion. Friedmans innovative theoretical approach uses gender analysis to explain the impact of the "political opportunity structure"the institutions, actors, and discoursesof democratization on womens participation.« less