From Global to Grassroots

From Global to Grassroots looks at how transnational activism aimed at combating violence against women is used to instigate changes in local practice. Focusing on the case of the European Union, this book provides empirical and intersectional feminist analysis to demonstrate the transnational processes that connect global and grassroots advocacy efforts. It does this by taking an in-depth look at the roles played by regional organizations and networks inefforts to address violence against women. Over the past decades, the complex and evolving system of EU multilevel governance has provided new venues for women's transnational activism. Despite a predominantly economic focus, the EU has undertaken various initiatives that utilize different tools of authority to combat violence against women. This book first traces the processes by which violence against women became a European Union issue, examining the role played by global movements and organizations as well as European advocateswithin and outside of EU institutions. Second, it explores and analyzes the different strategies that the EU has utilized to influence its member and candidate states to change their practices. Third, it evaluates the impact that these strategies have had at the local level by investigating theinteraction of international and regional efforts with domestic characteristics. The geographic and institutional variation found in the EU makes it a particularly rich case study for comparing the way that different strategies, power relationships, and domestic circumstances interact to provide a range of responses in member and candidate states. While other studies have emphasized formal policy change as evidence that domestic change has occurred, From Global to Grassroots looks beyond the rhetoric to examine the extent to which violence against women isaddressed on the ground, paying special attention to the disparate impact strategies may have on particular groups of women.

From Global to Grassroots represents a cutting-edge effort to assess a crucial area of state action for promoting gender equality: violence against women. Celeste Montoya crafts and conducts a powerful multi methods study of VAW policy in the European Union that enhances our understanding of women's movements and gender policy as they span the local, national, and transnational levels. Montoya's stellar analysis provides larger lessons as well about some of the major social questions of our day: democratic performance, intersectionality, multi-level governance, and policy effectiveness. As such, it will be of great use to a broad audience of scholars, teachers, activists and practitioners., From Global to Grassroots addresses one of the most important policy issues in the contemporary world-an issue that quite literally is the product of feminist activism over the past half-century. Celeste Montoya provides a lucid account of the emergence of this policy terrain and a sophisticated overview of the intricate array of state and nonstate actors involved in efforts to devise policies to eliminate violence against women., Montoya provides readers with one of the most thorough cross-national studies to yet emerge of transnational advocacy to combat violence against women... The book contributes rich theoretical insights that add to the knowledge of regional institutions (like the EU) and transnational activism. Montoya extends the conceptualization of differences between state responsiveness to violence against women and effectiveness in dealing with the protection, prosecution, and prevention of violence... Recommended.

Celeste Montoya is Assistant Professor in the Women and Gender Studies Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder.