MACMILLAN Women's Everyday Lives in War and Peace in the South Caucasus

This edited volume explores the everyday struggles and challenges of women living in the South Caucasus. The primary aim of the collection is to shift the pre-occupation with geopolitical analysis in the region and to share new empirical research on women and social change. The contributors discuss a broad range of topics, each relating to women’s everyday challenges during periods (past and present) of turbulent transformation and conflict, thus helping make sense of these transformations as well as adding new empirical insights to larger questions on life in the South Caucasus. Part I begins the discussion of women and social change in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by examining the contradictions between traditional gender roles and emancipation and how they continue to dictate women’s lives. Part II focuses on women’s experiences of war and conflict in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Nagorny Karabakh, as well as displacement from Abkhazia and Azerbaijan. Part III examines the challenges faced by sexual minorities in Georgia and feminist activism in Azerbaijan. Women's Everyday Lives in War and Peace in the South Caucasus will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including sociology, politics, gender studies and history. Review “The book offers a fresh perspective on the topic and region, structuring its analysis into sections … . The book highlights and expertly traces important progress in gender equality and compares women’s different roles … . The book’s commendable selection of both native and non-native authors, and scholars at different stages of their career, provides balance and diversity. … richness and extremely well-selected topic choices … .” (Nina Lutterjohann, Europe-Asia Studies, December 20, 2021) Review “This timely volume brings together innovative new research by scholars and activists from within and beyond the South Caucasus region. The chapters shift the focus from the questions of geopolitics and security that tend to dominate research on this region, providing nuanced, critical perspectives on everyday lives in the face of war, social change and political upheaval.” (Jo Laycock, University of Manchester, UK) From the Back Cover This edited volume explores the everyday struggles and challenges of women living in the South Caucasus. The primary aim of the collection is to shift the pre-occupation with geopolitical analysis in the region and to share new empirical research on women and social change. The contributors discuss a broad range of topics, each relating to women’s everyday challenges during periods (past and present) of turbulent transformation and conflict, thus helping make sense of these transformations as well as adding new empirical insights to larger questions on life in the South Caucasus. Part I begins the discussion of women and social change in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by examining the contradictions between traditional gender roles and emancipation and how they continue to dictate women’s lives. Part II focuses on women’s experiences of war and conflict in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Nagorny Karabakh, as well as displacement from Abkhazia and Azerbaijan. Part III examines the challenges faced by sexual minorities in Georgia and feminist activism in Azerbaijan. Women's Everyday Lives in War and Peace in the South Caucasus will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including sociology, politics, gender studies and history. About the Author Ulrike Ziemer is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Winchester, UK.