000			02697cam a2200385 4500500
005			20250706035041.0
041			_afre
042			_adc
100	1	0	_aBarthélémy, Pascale _eauthor
700	1	0	_a Panata, Sara _eauthor
700	1	0	_a Claire, Elizabeth _eauthor
245	0	0	_aStrategic pragmatism:
260			_c2023.
500			_a3
520			_aTransnational histories of the Cold War period (1947-1963) often focus on protagonists from the Eastern and Western blocs. This article shifts the perspective to analyze African women activists’ links to three key international women’s organizations during the Cold War: the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF), the International Council of Women (ICW) and the International Alliance of Women (IAW). By focusing on the years prior to the UN Women’s Conferences (1975-1995), the article proposes a new chronology for the history of women’s international activism since the Second World War. It argues that African women activists were full participants in Cold War history, determined to make their struggles known across national borders. By so doing, it contributes to both a transnational history of African women’s activism and a reconsideration of decolonization narratives which are often framed around male actors. A central argument of this article is that African women activists challenged the “logic of blocs” and their corresponding “spheres of influence” that dominated Cold War politics. First, these activists did not consistently align with the diplomatic positions of their home countries, regardless of whether their nations were aligned with the West, the East, or the non-aligned movement. Second, they frequently engaged with multiple international organizations to identify those most likely to advance their causes. By making such deliberate and strategic connections, African women activists were demonstrating what this article terms “strategic pragmatism,” navigating complex geopolitical landscapes to advocate for their agendas effectively.
690			_aAfrica
690			_aCold War
690			_agender
690			_aIAW
690			_aICW
690			_ainternational feminism
690			_aWIDF
690			_awomen
690			_aAfrica
690			_aCold War
690			_agender
690			_aIAW
690			_aICW
690			_ainternational feminism
690			_atransnational feminism
690			_aWIDF
690			_awomen
786	0		_nClio. Women, Gender, History | o 57 | 1 | 2023-06-07 | p. 23-46 | 1252-7017
856	4	1	_uhttps://shs.cairn.info/journal-clio-women-gender-history-2023-1-page-23?lang=en&redirect-ssocas=7080
999			_c1379494 _d1379494