Introduction

Abstract

The introduction illustrates the scope of the collection and shows its main contribution to the historiography on Eleanor Roosevelt, on public diplomacy and on transnational history. While sketching out a short political biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, major emphasis is placed on her attitudes toward US foreign policy and international affairs, both before and after World War II. The introduction also broadly explains how each chapter specifically deals with and interprets Eleanor Roosevelt’s personal involvement in diplomacy and (formal and informal) foreign relations. Ultimately, the introduction underlines the most important common threads linking the chapters together, by stressing Eleanor Roosevelt’s inclination to challenge gendered norms and overcome cultural and race-related barriers, by emphasizing the inclusivity and originality of her global messages, advocacy and campaigns, and by drawing attention to the relevance of her widely recognized soft power.