Focus of this issue is on gender relations. Most of the articles have been written by participants of a workshop on Feminist Scholarship, organized by the working group 'Gender and Development' of the University of Suriname. With the following articles: 'The economic role of Surinamese women before World War II' by Siegmien Staphorst : 'The political participation of women in Suriname from a herstorical perspective' by Twie Tjoa : 'Gender relations and household management in the changing economy of Suriname' by Mayke Kromhout : 'Comments on gender in development' by Riane de Haas-Bledoeg : 'Women and gender in religion. The position of women in the diverse religious communities in Suriname' by Henna E. Malberg-Guicherit : 'Fertility of Antillean population in the Netherlands' by H.E. Lamur and P. Olton : 'Hard work' and history in the Indo-Caribbean' by Aisha Khan.
Interview with Women's Studies professor Tuija Pulkkinen from the Christina Institute for Gender Studies at the University of Helsinki. Pulkkinen gives an overview of the history of Women's Studies in Finland, from the early 1980s up to its role today in both the academic world and the present-day public debate on gender roles.