EAST-GERMAN FEMINISTS IN THE NEW GERMAN DEMOCRACY - OPPORTUNITIES, OBSTACLES, AND ADAPTATION

This article describes the contemporary women's movement in eastern Ge rmany and assesses its ability to adapt to the political opportunity s tructure of post-unification Germany. The configuration of feminist gr oups is categorized into three distinct components, and the success of each component in adapting its political goals and strategies to the new political system is analyzed. Successful adaptation is found to be determined in part by the structure of opportunities, which favors lo cal-level ''non-political'' social organizations over explicitly polit ical groups and in part by the differing abilities and willingness of movement activists within each of the three segments to identify and s eize new opportunities.