Women's Studies as Cultural Movement and Academic Discipline in the United States and West Germany: The Early Phase, 1966-1982

The article compares the origins and early development of Women's Studies in West Germany and in the United States, focusing on differing patterns of institutionalization. While most American Women's Studies offerings were from the beginning located in academic institutions, many of the first German courses were taught outside of universities. The article outlines the discussions that were held in each country about the appropriate institutional setting for Women's Studies. It shows how the resulting processes of institutionalization were related to the administrative structures, purposes, and student constituencies of systems of higher education in the two countries. (ATA)