Contested Voices ─ Women Immigrants in Today's World

Using the concepts of intersectionality and the social construction of identity, Contested Voices offers a comprehensive picture of immigrant women today and the impact which public policy, class, race, religion, and ethnicity have on their efforts to adjust to a new environment. Rejecting the notion that all immigrant women have the same experiences in adapting and adjusting to their new environment, the book examines the impact of gendered immigration policy in the receiving country, the attitudes and role expectations of both the citizens in the receiving country and the members of the women's own immigrant community who live there, and the women's efforts to construct a viable social identity their new country.

Marianne Githens, Professor of Political Science and founder and previous director of Goucher College's Women's Studies Program, has written extensively on the topic of women and politics. An early work, A Portrait of Marginality is universally regarded as a classic in the field. Her other publications include Different Roles, Different Voices, Abortion Politics Public Policy in Cross Cultural Perspective, and numerous articles, including the well-known and frequently cited, 'Getting Appointed to the Court: The Gender Dimension. She has served as a major research consultant to the European Women Project sponsored by the European Union and to the television series Shoulder to Shoulder which dealt with the British suffrage movement. Professor Githens has received a number of awards including a NEH grant for research on American and European women's peace movements. Recently her research has focused on women immigrants and the various forces which affect their status and political role.