Book Review: Project Europe: A History by Kiran Klaus Patel

Abstract

given safe seats in the first place. The book also offers, then, an account of how incredibly hard these women worked to serve their constituents and to maintain and advance their own careers. There are two chapters on each of the five women, the first generally covering their early life and career up to the point of being appointed to a cabinet post and the second on their cabinet ministerial work itself. There are good reasons for structuring the book in this way, allowing readers to learn about the individual cabinet ministers in context. However, a chapter or more that then stepped back and considered what these women’s careers might tell us collectively, or which considered the peculiarities and specificities of being Labour cabinet ministers, or which considered more deeply the mechanics of gender and the workings of gendered expectations and stereotypes, would have been welcome. Similarly, there are at times some generalizations about Labour government policy, including towards women and feminist issues that need further unpacking and nuancing. Still, the book is very welcome for the level of detail and new insights it provides. It will serve as an important text on the topic and its accessible style means that it will have appeal to academic readers, to students at all levels and to a wider readership.