Introduction

This introductory chapter presents the subject of the book and the theoretical approach employed by the author. It presents Marija Gimbutas, her theory of Old Europe, her life trajectory, and the controversy surrounding her ideas. The chapter then goes on to position Gimbutas within the context of the women‘s movement and the theoretical developments in feminism, and the specific positionality of Eastern Europe from a postcolonial/postsocialist point of view. The chapter explains the post-structuralist methodological approach to women’s biographies and life-writing as taken in this book, and lists primary and secondary sources. It ends with an overview of the chapters.