european

I've not read the book. I wish for information on the author. My mother's maiden name was Riste. She came to Canada in 1918.

Gary Vliet

I've not read the book. I wish for information on the author. My mother's maiden name was Riste and she came to Canada in 1918.

Gary Vliet

Karen Offen's newest work, the groundbreaking European Feminisms: 1700 - 1950, seeks to rediscover, contextualize, and historically analyze the ideas and actions of feminist women and men during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and the first half of the twentieth century. Offen succeeds not merely in filling in the blanks (and they are many) in our historical memory of the wide array of feminists and feminisms during this period, but more significantly, in taking steps to reconceptualize our understanding of this era in European history.

She does this, as she explains, "By placing gender, or relations between women and men, at the center of European politics..." In other words, European history, as traditionally conceived, presents a skewed and partial picture of the past - a portrayal made possible by the systematic marginalization and erasure of feminists and feminisms. The traditional conceptualization of European history has also relied on a refusal to recognize gender as central to human relations. For the past three decades feminist historians, Offen among the most widely known and highly respected of them, have worked to re-think and re-write the histories of many peoples and nations.

This book utilizes the work of this generation of European historians, synthesizing and reconceptualizing their arguments, while building upon their research with an expansive array of published primary sources, to create this wide-ranging, extraordinarily researched text. Relying on the axiom that knowledge is power, and "partial knowledge, or lack of knowledge, can disempower" (p.3), Offen provides a clear explanation for the historical evaporation of our feminist past. Without the knowledge of previous generations of feminists, each subsequent (re)emergence of feminist activists is forced to "reinvent the wheel." Initiating a movement for social change undoubtedly poses greater challenges and barriers than carrying on a long-standing tradition, replete with role models, icons, and heros. Burying these images and memories stymies, or eradicates, their power as inspirational examples to future feminists.

As European Feminisms elucidates, for each feminist action there has been an (if not always equal) opposite reaction. Offen explicates the nineteenth century efforts to exclude women from public and political life as a backlash against women's activism during the French Revolution, the groundswell of male writers reasserting and rejustifying patriarchy as a reaction in the wake of the feminist resurgence during the 1848 European upheavals, and efforts "to put a stop to feminist aspirations and to channel women's movements for their own ends" as central to the rise and support of fascist movements (p.311). The implications behind this history make this, as Offen contends, "a political guidebook, a political act" (p. 395). Writing history is a political act, whether one of political complacency and acceptance, or of action and challenge. Offen presents us with a beautifully composed, intellectually rigorous re-examination and revaluation of the European past. As an historian of nineteenth century France, I have found this book provocative and intellectually engaging. Students in my undergraduate "Women in Modern Europe" class thoroughly enjoyed the text, voting it their favorite of the five books assigned for the course. European Feminisms: 1700 - 1950 will assuredly stimulate and enlighten the scholar, student, or casual reader.

Feminism was and is among the broadest and most radical political movements of modern times--it concerns itself with a group, women, which makes up more than one half of the human race and with a form of oppression, patriarchy, which is certainly among the oldest and the most widespread. But in spite of its historical importance this movement has received so little attention in the mainstream of historical research that one can almost speak of an erasure of the feminist past. The "new" feminists of the 1970s were so unaware of this history that they believed that they had to reinvent feminism. A generation of scholars, resolved that the feminist movement must never again slip into oblivion, has reconstructed many aspects of its history. Without this research, the broad and synthetic work that Karen Offen presents to us would not have been possible. But Karen Offen, a well-known historian of France and the editor of several valuable collections of documents on women's history, is in many ways critical of this body of research. Historians, she charges, have too often evaluated feminists of past generations by present-day standards, and have criticized or rejected these feminists because they did not conform to today's feminist orthodoxies. Karen Offen, by contrast, places feminist movements in their historical context, which in this volume is the history of Europe from 1700 to about 1950. And, though she admits that many feminists made mistakes, her purpose is chiefly to praise these courageous women and men who, often against crushing opposition, identified, protested, and struggled against the subordination of women in all its varied manifestations. "They deserve," she writes, "not only to be recognized and remembered, but applauded and celebrated (16)." Offen actually writes, not about "feminism" but about "feminisms"--a very wide concept which includes conservative, liberal, socialist, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, pacifist, and many other movements. And this is a truly path-breaking work. Most works on the history of feminism have confined themselves to a single national culture, and even the anthologies that have dealt with European women's history have focused chiefly on the European "great powers"--Britain, France, Germany, Italy. Offen's work includes these countries but also the many other European nations--for example, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland--which are hardly ever included in English-language histories. The research for this book is amazingly broad, including a variety of sources in several languages. And all these diverse histories are integrated into a flowing historical narrative, which is both clear and readable. This international view of European feminism permits many comparative perspectives, which also challenge prevailing views of national feminist movements. For example, the German women's movement, seen in the shadow of National Socialism and the Holocaust, has often been accused of authoritarian and conservative tendencies--but in fact, the German movement before the First World War was one of Europe's most progressive. Karen Offen indicates in her title that her focus is on political rather than social history. Thus she does not tell us much about which women were attracted to feminism, and about how this feminist constituency differed in the various countries. This and many other questions remain to be explored. And because she generally rejects the differentiation between "socialist" and "bourgeois" (or middle-class) feminism, class differences among feminists are somewhat underestimated here. Karen Offen has given us an international context in which to explore such questions. Karen Offen believes that this story is relevant not only to scholars but to all readers. The history of feminism can not only instruct but also empower us. "We have an obligation," she states in her concluding chapter, "not only to contemplate this newly rediscovered history ourselves but to assure its transmission, to the best of our ability, to our daughters and sons, to our grandchildren and to their posterity (394)." This rich and informative work renews our commitment to this important task.

I took a course on the European Union at the University of Pittsburgh with only the dimmest idea about what the EU was about. This book, one of the books assigned for the course, is a very readable, very understandable dissection of the EU's history, its structure and its internal politics. I highly recommend to anyone reading about the EU for the first time or taking a class on the EU.

John McCormick's book on European Union policy and politics is a great book for people who want to learn more about the EU. The book is broken up nicely into three parts: Part One deals with the evolution of the European Union and gives a good background on how the European Community began in the 1950's; to the evolution of the European Union up and through the Treaty of Maastericht. Part two discusses the institutions of the EU. The EU Parliament, Commission, Council of Ministers, Court of Justice, and the European Council; the book tells how each one works and what roles each body plays in government and politics. The third and final section talks about EU policies...from Education through Economics all EU policies are broken down and analyzed in the book. I think the book is a great tool for students learning about the EU and people who take an interest in European Politics. Believe me when I say..."you won't be dissappointed."

Both sides of my family are Hungarian and I grew up
having most of the these dishes as a child.

The only way I ever knew the recipes was by calling
my Mom or my Grandma, a province away, to ask what I
needed to complete a dish I relished as a child.

What a pleasant surprise to find a cookbook that had
everything I ever remembered. Some of the recipes
are identical to ones I have scratched down on pieces
of scrap paper

Thank you to the author for such an easy book to follow.

Hungarian Cookery has a special place in my heart, as I am of Hungarian ancestry. While there on the market a number of legacy recipe collections that are quite good, Eva's fills a different need.

Born in Hungary, she now lives in Canada. She and her husband John travel back regularly and her recipes are more correctly a blend of both traditional methods and current Hungarian cooking. I have tried a number of her recipes and they always work. I recommend her Langos, Roast Pork stuffed with Sausage (sometimes referred to as "in the manner of Debrecen"), and her Mock Venison. This is a worthwhile addition to any collection of Hungarian cookbooks. It is also an excellent value.

The stark and vital images, the quiet insistence of the journey took my breath away.

This is alternately heartbreaking and transformative... The story of a woman leaving a domestic South African hell for the sanctity of a hollow tree... Stockenstrom writes like no one else and I wish more of her stuff had been translated...

Exposed: A beautiful and Informative Book about a Controversial Topic

What surprised and delighted me most, by both the exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, and by this wonderful text that accompanied the show and is now available to purchase, is the unbiased historical approach to the theme of Victorian Nudes and Sexuality. Most museums and texts that dare to present 19th century Victorian and academically rendered art (art in the realist tradition taught by the academic art schools of the period) have accompanying text that is tongue-in-cheek or satirically critical of this artwork. But this book, as the exhibition (which was organized and sponsored by the Tate Britain museum in England) gives serious insight into the Victorian controversy of nudity and sexuality. "Exposed: The Victorian Nude" explains with respect, what the artists of that era were trying to do. It analyses the social climate of the time, the innovative and daring works of the period's masters, as well as lesser artists, and shows the influence this art had on popular trends and views. The book is also rich in color plates and is a visual delight as well as a wealth of historical knowledge. There are fine examples of paintings by Frederic Leighton, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Evelyn De Morgan, Herbert Draper, Anna Lea Merritt, Annie Swynnnerton, John William Waterhouse, Philip Hermogenes Calderon, Edward John Poynter, Albert Moore, George Frederic Watts and Earnest Normand. There are also fabulous drawings by William Mulready, William Holman Hunt, Ford Madox Brown, and John Everett Millais as well as photos of great sculpture of the period. This impressive book would make a wonderful holiday gift for anyone interested in the Victorian Era. If you are interested in my complete review of this book and show, with many examples of the colored plates from the book and descriptions of the paintings, you make find the review at www.artrenewal.org This site, The Art Renewal Center, is the largest on-line museum on the Internet and is a non-profit art educational organization. The review may be found in the top menu under Articles/latest articles/ "Exposed: The Victorian Nude" by Sherry Lazarus Ross.

Alison Smith deftly edits Exposed: The Victorian Nude, a photographic exploration of the range of Victorian representations of both male and female figures. This concentrates on painting, sculpture and drawing, but also explores photos, popular illustration and film. An excellent history.

The fact that the library journal's review of the book calls into question the sexual politics of french history painting demeans ITS validity. This book makes easy to understand the sophisticated racial, sexual, and art historical undercurrents that lay as a background to the 19th century. Indeed it is these subjects that hold the greatest kernel of interest to anyone interested in the art of the davidian school, it is a welcome, exciting departure from the stuffy academic reading of the neo-classical era, making relevant an group of artists that have found themselves marginalized in their legacy.

For anyone interested in colonialism and art this book is a fascinating discussion of the ways that France's imperial battles and conquests informed and affected that country's art.

I would read this to a class or child and then enjoy listening to the work. It's a very nice introduction to Haydn and the humor he used when composing. Wonderful book and it comes with a nice performance of several of Haydn's Symphonys.

I do collect children's books and take into consideration the illustrations as well as the story. I rate this book excellent, the story is True, based on documented evidence. A CD is also included of the complete "The Farewell Symphony'" and I replay it ad infinitum. Excellent investment in quality entertainment. The illustrations are delightful! Dorothy Hope

So THIS is why Franco was able to rule for 39 years! Payne has done a fantastic job of explaining how Primo de Rivera could come to power, fall, then nine years later Franco could become Spain's "Caudillo". Payne's detailed account makes one feel as though they have experienced what it was like in Spain from the beginning of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship to the restoration of democratic institutions in 1977. Overall, a good read.

I have not read this book yet, but I intend to buy it soon. I have to call attention to an error in the online book review -- Francisco Franco died Nov, 20, 1975, not in 1977. Spain's first free elctions in decades were held June 15, 1977.

Naturalistic fiction has never been so stripped,
a choking ibsenomaic portion;
precocial nautch that grows as it goes.
Strindberg's stronger wiccecræft stronger.

Worth witenagemot!©

After writing the Red Room and several other wonderful books, Father is really one of Strindberg's most fantastic work. It is stunning how a person can describe human beings in the way Strindberg does, or did, since he past away over 80 years ago... Just buy it and read it.