"Bringing together 11 case studies that encompass Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Baltics and Russia, this volume challenges us to think differently about civil society, masculinity, parenting, biological citizenship and the relevance of the label 'post-communist' studies."—Europe-Asia Studies
"Athought provoking, timely and highly relevant collection. "—Hungarian Cultural Studies
"These valuable case studies show how initially amorphous groups can be empowered by finding or being given greater cultural, financial, or political footing."—Slavic Review
"This is an important and innovative book about a developing social phenomenon — parental movements — that is not yet on the radar screens of gender scholars of eastern Europe and those interested in gender-inflected social movements more generally, around the world. But it should be. The volume collects contrasting case studies that are not easy to categorize as conservative or progressive. That contributes to the book's interest, opening up new conceptualizations. It reveals emerging and sometimes unexpected positions, strategies and commitments among eastern European citizens."—Susan Gal, author of Reproducing Gender: Politics, Publics, and Everyday Life After Socialism
"We see here evidence of engaged citizens, not directly challenging political leaders about broad economic or political policies, but seeking to change public attitudes to vital issues facing people in their everyday lives as parents. ...This is very much a contribution to scholarship and knowledge. We just don't know about this type of activism."—David Ost, author of The Defeat of Solidarity: Anger and Politics in Postcommunist Europe
"This is an excellent collection with conceptual and methodological unity and high quality contributions that are thoroughly researched. ... The work makes a real contribution to the field (both theoretically and empirically), challenges stereotypes, and presents new areas of valuable research."—Nanette Funk, coeditor of Gender Politics and Post-Communism: Reflections from Eastern Europe and the Former Sovie
"The editors and individual authors have done a masterful job creating a critical framework for the study of civil society and grassroots activism in the postcommunist period, and this volume should be an important starting point for students and scholars looking to advance this topic further."—Women East-West
"Extensively researched, with a very solid literature review tosupport and explain the positions of the editors and the volume'scontributors and how their research differs from and builds on existingscholarship, this volume will be an important addition not only to anyuniversity library collection but also a valuable reading both forscholars researching the impact of globalization on gender and civilsociety and for any undergraduate or graduate course dealing not onlywith Central and Eastern Europe but gender studies in general."—Hungarian Studies Review
