From the field to the legislature : a history of women in the Virgin Islands / Eugenia O'Neal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Neal, Eugenia, 1965-

Series:

Contributions in women's studies ; no. 187.

Contributions in women's studies, 0147-104X ; no. 187

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--British Virgin Islands--History.

Women.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (165 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, c2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Women of the Virgin Islands: From the Field to the Legislature recognizes and restores women to their central role in the history of the Virgin Islands by examining their lives from the earliest days of the colony's settlement. Constrained by their sex, race, and colonized status, women, nevertheless, led lives of ordinary heroism, which ensured the territory's economic, social, and cultural survival. In this comprehensive history of women in one of the world's last British colonies, O'Neal shows how women continue to define and redefine themselves and their roles in both their public and private lives, even as the colony itself undergoes its own transformation. As the twenty-first century begins, this book takes a look back at the role colonialism played in the twentieth century in furthering male political leadership and patriarchal norms. While party politics might have had the potential to advance women's political careers, O'Neal concludes they have largely failed to do so despite the advances women have made. Beginning in the late 1600s, when the islands were first colonized by the British, O'Neal examines the growth of slavery and shows how women exercised leadership roles in their community while preserving some of the traditions of their native Africa. She moves on to discuss the shaping of women's roles after the abolition of slavery and the struggles women faced as a result. Moving into the twentieth century, the book takes a look at women in the economy, society, government, education, and even in the family, and explores how roles have grown and changed even as the islands themselves continue to be transformed. O'Neal shows that while patriarchal attitudes were strengthened, women still found their way into the public arena, albeit with difficulty, influencing all areas of social policy. This book represents a truly original and enlightening addition to the literature on the Virgin Islands and Caribbean history.

Contents:

Cover

FROM THE FIELD TO THE LEGISLATURE

Contents

Preface

Introduction

NOTE

CHAPTER 1 Slavery

BIRTH OF A COLONY

CONSTRUCTING VERSIONS OF WOMANHOOD: PLANTATION SOCIETY, 1700-1834

FINDING FREEDOM AND RESISTING DEFINITION

WOMEN OF RESPECT: EXERTING INFLUENCE AND EXERCISING POWER

NOTES

CHAPTER 2 Amelioration

ABOLITIONISTS AND PATRIARCHY

SHAPING THE NEW WOMAN

CHAPTER 3 Post-Abolition Virgin Islands Society

EMANCIPATION AND ITS IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH

POST-ABOLITION GOVERNMENT

MISSIONARIES IN POST-ABOLITION VIRGIN ISLANDS

CHAPTER 4 New Challenges

WOMEN IN POST-ABOLITION SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

EDUCATION AND WOMEN

CHAPTER 5 Constructing Self

TWENTIETH-CENTURY GOVERNMENT

WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY AND IN THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 6 Public Lives

WOMEN AND WELFARE

WOMEN IN THE ECONOMY

WOMEN IN EDUCATION: LEADING THE WAY

WOMEN IN HEALTH

CHAPTER 7 The Boom Years, 1970-1995

PROGRESS AND CHANGE

WOMEN IN THE ECONOMY: GAINING GROUND

WOMEN AND THE FAMILY

WOMEN AND SOCIAL POLICY

CHAPTER 8 Political Women

POLITICAL GAINS SINCE 1970

FACTORS AFFECTING WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Bibliography

BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS

MANUSCRIPT AND ARCHIVAL SOURCES

NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSLETTERS: 1853, 1949-1995

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [141]-146) and index.

ISBN:

9798400654794

9780313000737

0313000735

OCLC:

49838307