Stefania Mihailescu, Emancipated femeii romane. Studiu Si antologie de texte. Vol. II (1919-1948) (The emancipation of the Romanian woman. Study and anthology of texts. Vol. 2 [1919-1948]), Bucharest: Editura ecumenica, 2005, 675 pp. Price not listed (pb), ISBN 973-99782-0-7

This is the long-awaited continuation of a volume published in 2001, focussing on women's activism in Romania before 1918. (1) It is a labour of intense dedication and a pioneering work in the field of the history of feminism and women in Romania between 1919 and 1948. The book includes a lengthy introduction (69 pages), a very large selection of primary sources (239) pertaining to feminist activism, followed by a complete list of the documents and an index of names, offering useful tools for navigating through the overwhelming size of the book. The introductory note to the anthology is also important in enabling the reader to understand the criteria for selection of these materials, as well as the lacunae that the author acknowledges.

The introduction offers useful parameters for considering important themes of the women's movement in Romania in the interwar period: Economic power is at the top of the list. The author also discusses the important contests of feminist organisations for suffrage rights for women vis-a-vis the 1923 Constitution and throughout the interwar period, underscoring the small victories at the ballot box that women received in 1929 and later in the 1930s, when they were gradually given limited voting rights. Mihailescu also focusses on the anti-authoritarian, pro-democracy activities of women's organisations as central to understanding their...