Tracing the history of the discipline from its origins, this text sets out the main agendas of women's studies and feminism, exploring the global development of the subject over time, and highlighting its relevance in the contemporary world.

Bonnie G. Smith is the author, editor, or co-author of more than twenty books and many essays in women's and gender history, European and world history, and historiography. As Board of Governors Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, she has taught women's studies courses, including the comparative history of feminism.

1. The Invention of Women's Studies 2. The Foundations of Interdisciplinarity 3. Intersectionality and Difference: Race, Class, and Gender 4. Global Agendas 5. Violence, Militarization, Security, and Peace 6. Women's Studies and the Question of Gender 7. Feminist Theories and Methods 8. Embodiment, Sexuality, Identity 9. Classrooms, Controversies, and Citizenship 10. The Future of Women's Studies in Our Information Age