Women Activists in Central and Eastern Europe

As part of the series Routledge Focus on Women Writers in Management and Organization Studies, this volume aims to explore the writing of organization in the sense of how meaning is inscribed into the social context by organizational practices. Across Central and Eastern Europe, women activists have long been at the forefront of transformative change, navigating the complex landscapes of business, politics, and civil society to redefine leadership on their own terms. This book is to bring their stories to light, showcasing the diverse ways in which women have shaped their organizations, communities, and nations. This volume moves beyond traditional, often masculine and men-coded notions of activism, revealing how women in the region have shaped alternative paths through cooperation, resilience, and visionary organizing. Authors showcase the lives and work of women who played central roles in shaping organizations and politics across the region. From corporate boardrooms to grassroots initiatives, from public institutions to political movements, these women have built networks of support, reimagined governance, and challenged exclusionary structures. Through a series of compelling narratives, this book offers a fresh perspective on activism, one that centers on collective action, social impact, and community-building.

Anna M. Górska, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer at Kozminski University and Director of the Women and Diversity in Organizations Research Center. She is a member of the Young Academy of the Polish Academy of Sciences, member of General Council for Science and Higher Education and an Associate Member of the Centre for Work, Organization and Society at the University of Essex. She studies gender in organizations and higher education institutions. Monika Kostera is Titular Professor in economics and humanities. She works as Professor in Management at Warsaw University. She is a visiting professor at Södertörn University, Sweden, Rennes Université, France, as well as L'Université Paris Nanterre, and Elected Member of the Sociology Committee of the Polish Academy of Science. She writes and publishes texts on organization theory as well as poetry.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Central and East European women activists as heroines and authors of alternative organizing Chapter 2: Ekaterina Duntsova: Jack-in-the-Box or Deus ex Machina of Russia? Chapter 3: The Enthusiasts revisited: Women's activist collaborative communities in contemporary Poland Chapter 4: "I was born in the storm of a revolt!" Chapter 5: Tetiana Isaieva from Kharkiv, "Let us create a Museum about ourselves!": organization of the first Ukrainian and Eastern European interactive Museum of Women's and Gender History Chapter 6: What self-empowerment can achieve - the East Berlin "Women for Peace" Chapter 7: Coda: Organizing Through Creation: Albanian Women Activists and the Aesthetic Dimensions of Resistance