Jelena Batinic

The mass participation of women—including 100,000 female combatants--in the communist-led Yugoslav Partisans is one of the most remarkable phenomena of World War II. How did the Partisans manage to attract women to their ranks, integrate them in the movement, and legitimize their new roles? What were the short- and long-term consequences of women’s military and political mobilization in the area? Seeking to answer these questions, this project traces the history and postwar memory of the phenomenon. It is, more broadly, concerned with changes in gender norms caused by the war, revolution, and establishment of the communist regime that claimed to have solved the “woman question.” The study combines diverse sources to probe communist gender politics and its contested legacy in the region.

This project examines one of the most remarkable phenomena of World War II: the mass participation of women, including 100,000 female combatants, in the communist-led Yugoslav Partisan resistance. How did the Partisans manage to attract women to their ranks, integrate them into the movement, and legitimize their new roles? What were the consequences of women’s military and political mobilization? Seeking to answer these questions, this project traces the history and postwar memory of the phenomenon. It is, more broadly, concerned with changes in gender norms caused by the war, revolution, and establishment of the communist regime that claimed to have solved the “woman question.” The study combines diverse sources to probe communist gender politics and communism’s contested legacy in the region.