Science, Gender, and Internationalism

Founded in 1920, the International Federation of University brought together women committed to promoting higher education across divisions hardened by global conflict. Here, Christine von Oertzen traces the IFUW's international rise and Cold War decline, making a valuable contribution to the cultural, diplomatic, and intellectual history.

'This ambitious study of the International Federation of University Women in Britain, the U.S. and Germany from the interwar years through the 1950s is transnational history at its best. Von Oertzen has recovered a forgotten yet vital transatlantic network of impressive women scholars and judiciously assessed its accomplishments, tensions, and shortcomings. Her work offers new insights into national and international women's movements, the behavior of women's organizations in Nazi Germany, and the fate of women Jewish refugees. This cultural history of a vibrant multinational academic network is a welcome addition to gender history, cultural history, and the history of international institutions and exchanges.' - Mary Nolan, Professor of History, New York University, USA 'High idealism for international peace framed the International Federation of University Women after World War I. Early personal and professional collaborations through tours, visits, and exchanges laid the groundwork for women academics in Britain and the United States to save, quite literally, hundreds of their peers in the wake of the Nazi rise to power. Christine von Oertzen's intimate portraits create a compelling narrative that reveals with candor and sensitivity the complexity and tensions within these networks reflecting feminism, science, and international relations.' - Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Professor, History of Science, Technology and Medicine Program, University of Minnesota, USAp>

Autorentext
Christine von Oertzen is a Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Germany.

Inhalt

1. Introduction 2. Global War, Global Citizens, Global Mission: The Anglo-American Project of an International Federation of University Women (IFUW) 3. Networks for Science: The IFUW's Program and Policies, 1919 33 4. Reactions in Central Europe: The German Case, 1919 33 5. World Community under Threat 6. Networks in Action: The IFUW's Assistance to Refugees 7. Marked by Persecution 8. Continuity, Memory, and the Cold War 9. Conclusion