Women’s international activism during the inter-war period 1919-1939

Abstract

This article explains why women’s international activism in the interwar period should be a subject of scholarly interest, and also discusses the myriad and vibrant forms it could take. For some women campaigners, international work—whether through established national women’s movements or via separate, radical pacifist organisations—was crucial for the prevention of war and the maintenance of world peace. However, this was not the only motivation. Others were interested in the scientific or professional advantages of combining knowledge at international or transnational level. Others still were keen to exploit international links in order to further political objectives closer to home, such as the achievement of women’s suffrage, the encouragement of inter-cultural understanding between women from different ethnic, religious or linguistic backgrounds, or the promotion of conservative values, anti-communism or physical fitness within particular national or multi-national settings. Examples of all of these kinds of activism can be found in the individual contributions to this special issue.