women’s movement in austrian galicia
This paper explores the establishment, phases and development of the first women movements of polish, ukrainian and jewish women in Galicia, a multicultural and peripher region within the Austrian Habsburg Empire. The paper attemps to show the way of organization and creation of a specific national women´s culture.
In that process women were involved who mainly influenced the ideology and embodied the leader-ship of the movements. Selected feminist life stories should depict the „net-work“ and structures of organisations located in Galicia in the nation-building epoch of the 19^th and 20^th century. The paper tries to investigate the forms and structures of women-organisations and determine the common ground and specific differences in their struggle for equality. Moreover, the study reviews the feminist-project as a part of the national buildung and movements that further influenced feminist identity and prevent the solidarity of women from different nations. What kind of women´s organizations existed in this region? Which women could be designated as feminists, who were dedicated to questions concerning women? How where structures established through individual relations and connections to women movements in Western and Eastern Europe?
The investigation applies the method of discourse analysis including selections of published women magazins and public journal. Furthermore autobiographies and biographies of women who were engaged in the movements will also be analysed. In summery, this paper attempts to draw a comparison with different national women movements in Galicia, that is new to explain differences and mutualities in their struggle for emanzipation. Finally, the results of the study should sort out how deep feminism was connected with nationalism.
Mag.a Angelique Leszczawski-Schwerk,
DK „Galizien und sein multikulturelles Erbe“, Universität Wien
Projektzeit: März 2007-Oktober 2009
angelique.leszczawski-schwerk[at]univie.ac.at