Feminism

Description

Features

• Useful Glossary, Chronology and Who's Who sections for students new to the topic
• Extensive Bibliography and Further Reading sections
• References to historical debates such as the effectiveness and nature of women’s suffrage organisations and why women were finally granted the vote; the relationship between feminism, empire and imperialism
• Additional documents that highlight key issues/areas, but also introduce students to different types of material
• Illustrations, since visual imagery was always so significant to the feminist movement (and also to detractors of that movement)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Chronology

Who’s Who

Glossary

PART ONE ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT

1.       THE PROBLEM

            Histories of Feminism

            Definitions of Feminism

            Themes

2.       THE BEGINNINGS OF MODERN FEMINISM

            The Enlightenment and the French Revolution

            Early nineteenth century social and political reform movements

            The organised women’s movement in the mid-nineteenth century

3.       WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE 1860’s-1920

            Origins of women’s suffrage

            Widening the basis of support after 1900

            Socialism and suffrage

            International women’s organisations

            Militancy

            Achievement of the vote

4.        FEMINISM, NATIONALISM AND INTERNATIONALISM

            Women’s suffrage beyond Europe and North America

            Nationalism and anti-colonialism

            Internationalism and universal sisterhood

            Tensions in the IWSA

5.       CITIZENSHIP IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE IN THE INTER-WAR YEARS

Political representation and impact

Women’s organisations

Social welfare

Feminism, peace and international activism

6.       ‘THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL’: WOMEN’S LIBERATION AND ‘SECOND WAVE’ FEMINISM

Origins of second wave feminism

Protest in the 1960s and women’s liberation

Debating feminism

Feminism on a global scale

Divisions in ‘second wave’ feminism

Setbacks and new initiatives

7.       ASSESSMENT

PART TWO DOCUMENTS

Further Reading

References

Back Cover

Feminism explores the history of this global, social and political movement from the nineteenth century to the present day. Moving across several continents, JuneHannam shows how a worldwide exploration of the concerns of women can lead to a broader understanding of the meaning of feminism, while at the same time charting feminist challenges to prevailing ideas about women’s social roles.

The book addresses the key questions:

·         To what extent does a universal sisterhood exist?

·         How can we evaluate the effectiveness of high profile activism against that of steady campaigning for change?

·         How far does an understanding of feminist history inform political activism?

·         Is feminism still relevant to women’s lives today?

Covering a broad range of topics, including the relationship between equality and difference and the interaction between feminism and other social and political movements, this new Seminar Study is an essential and accessible introduction for anyone studying women’s history in general and feminism in particular.

June Hannam is a Professor of Modern History at the University of the West of England, Bristol and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has published widely on the history of women and her previous works include Isabella Ford, 1855–1924 (1989) and (with Karen Hunt) Socialist Women: Britain 1880s–1920s (2001). She is on the editorial board of Women’s History Review and is a member of the national steering committee of Women’s History Network.

Author

June Hannam is a lecturer at the University of the West of England. She has published widely on the history of women and has also written on the history of Bristol. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she is also on the editorial board of Labour History Review, International Journal of Nursing History andWomen's History Review. She is the Chair of South West and Wales Women's History Network.

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