Equivocal feminists : the Social Democratic Federation and the woman question, 1884-1911 / Karen Hunt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hunt, Karen, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social Democratic Federation--History.

Women and socialism--Great Britain--History.

Women socialists--Great Britain--History.

Feminism--Great Britain--History.

Women--Political activity--Great Britain--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 296 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This 1996 book takes a look at the relationship between socialism and feminism in the years before the First World War through a detailed examination of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), Britain's first Marxist party. It reassesses the history of the SDF, exploring for the first time SDF ideas and practice on issues such as marriage and 'free love', women and work, and the suffrage, as well as the attitudes taken to women and their potential as socialists. Dr Hunt shows how the SDF came to officially equivocate on the woman question and how this shaped what it meant to be a socialist woman in the following years. Through this fascinating examination of the links and antagonisms between the feminist and socialist movements, Dr Hunt not only reclaims the history of a forgotten group of socialist women, but also sheds light on the perennial debate about the comparative significance of sex and class in defining political identity.

Contents:

pt. 1. The woman question : the theory

pt. 2. The SDF and the woman question : the theory and practice of the party on aspects of the woman question

pt. 3. Women and the SDF : the practical implications of the SDF's understanding of the woman question.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 274-288) and index.

ISBN:

0-511-58194-7

0-511-00076-6