Zrinjka Peruško Čulek is Research Fellow at the IRMO. She holds a M.A. degree in sociology and communication from the University of Zagreb. She is currently working on her Ph.D. thesis at the Department of Sociology, University of Zagreb. Her interests include theory of international communication, cultural and media policies, and the media and the culture of democracy. She has published on the topics of the international flow of information and media policies.
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Somehow it seems that concern for the rights of (wo)man, now at the end of the millennium, is again as strong as it was in the 17th century, when the idea started to take root in the European culture. This view is especially strong from the Central European perspective, but major conferences and academic publications in the field reflect this as an important concern on the global level as well.
It is difficult to say decidedly why this concern is being expressed right now, but we would not be far wrong if we linked it to the process of change that has swept through the world body politic. This fundamental change has not been purely political, nor has it been confined only to the Central and Eastern European countries. The democratic model of government seems to have become the preferred option for countries on all the world's continents. Even if many have problems with its implementation, the majority now claim it as their choice.