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In a world where women’s rights and women’s place in society are constantly contested and feminist claims manipulated to promote conservative, even illiberal, agendas, one could be tempted to see women as mostly victims of attacks on their rights and democracy. This is especially so because in the history of revolutions and pro-democracy and decolonisation movements there has typically been an overemphasis on the role of male leaders, thinkers and strategists compared to women’s.
However, looking more carefully at history and global politics, we can find plenty of examples where women have been at the forefront of movements aimed to topple authoritarian regimes or resist to attempts to roll back democratic institutions. Even when this does not necessarily translate into a betterment of women’s rights, it has been shown that pro-democracy movements that see a massive participation of women tend to be more resilient, creative and ultimately successful and are more likely to lead to a more equal and effective democracy especially when women’s participation and rights are integrated in the post-revolutionary transition period.
Despite this, there has never been a systematic overview of the impact of women in pro-democracy movements. The MOOC on Women at the forefront of Democratic Change will fill this knowledge gap and shed light on women’s crucial role in the fight to build and protect democracy and bring about social change.
However, looking more carefully at history and global politics, we can find plenty of examples where women have been at the forefront of movements aimed to topple authoritarian regimes or resist to attempts to roll back democratic institutions. Even when this does not necessarily translate into a betterment of women’s rights, it has been shown that pro-democracy movements that see a massive participation of women tend to be more resilient, creative and ultimately successful and are more likely to lead to a more equal and effective democracy especially when women’s participation and rights are integrated in the post-revolutionary transition period.
Despite this, there has never been a systematic overview of the impact of women in pro-democracy movements. The MOOC on Women at the forefront of Democratic Change will fill this knowledge gap and shed light on women’s crucial role in the fight to build and protect democracy and bring about social change.
