Tese (doutorado) - Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciencias Humanas, Departamento de Historia / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-16T22:01:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0

Invented in the 1870's, practical electric lighting systems and the electric power industry immediately began to spread. At first electricity was limited to public and domestic lighting. Soon, it was applied to transportation when streetcars and interurbans were electrified. Later, industry, in particular the mining industry, adopted electricity as a source of power, and the profits and efficiency increased significantly. In Utah electrification began as early as 1880. In that year the state's first electric power company was incorporated in Salt Lake City. Soon, Ogden, Logan, Provo, and other towns began harnessing electricity. Shortly thereafter, electric streetcars began to run in the state's major cities and interurban lines connected towns along the Wasatch Front. Simultaneously, electricity was introduced into the mines, and greatly improved their productivity.

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This thesis focuses on the impact of social class and sex caste influences on upper-class women. Preceding analysis have tended to suggest either that upper-class women are, women, essentially powerless and irrelevant to the broader historical context or that they are, as members of the upper-class, powerful and, on occasion, important historical actors. This research addresses these issues in a more systematic and comprehensive fashion than previous attempts. Specifically, the thesis of this dissertation considers three questions: 1. Do active upper-class women exercise power? 2. Is this exercise of power socio-historically significant? and 3. Through this exercise of power do active upper-class women seek to advance their social class or their sex caste? In order to pursue this inquiry, 'power' must be conceptualized as a broad range of activities through which individuals directly or indirectly exercise their will or serve their own interests. This expanded understanding of power is receptive to woman's experience of social reality. The particular 'strategic' research population selected for this investigation is upper-class women who were active in New York City between 1880 and 1920. The socio-historical milieu in which these women lived was a vortex of powerful social class and sex caste forces -the role of women was in the midst of sweeping reformulations and the class system was embroiled in crucial struggles. Active upper-class women's activities in this context are investigated by means of cumulated biographies. Using standard biographical sources, biographical dossiers (detailing family background, organizational affiliations and so on) are assembled for 412 subjects. This information is then analysed, first, in terms of the general characteristics of the research population (for example, their distinguishing social traits) and, secondly, in terms of their involvement in three key fields -social welfare, ideological domination and the status of women. The results from this analysis suggest, first, that upper-class women did wield power (they held important executive offices, were influential figures or were founders, leaders or benefactors of movements, organizations or institutions). Secondly, their exercise of power was of socio-historical significance (many of the organizations, institutions and movements in which they exercised power played an important role in social and historical events.) Finally, although substantial evidence indicates that many research subjects aided on-going projects of the upper-class, worked with class colleagues and defended the interests of the upper class, sex caste affiliation was also an important consideration. Many of the research population's activities were undertaken through woman-only organizations or were directed specifically to women. In a few significant instances concern with sex caste issues led some active upper-class women into conflict with traditional upper-class values. The research indicates that upper-class women's social activities and historical role cannot be viewed simply as expressions of either class or caste influences. Rather, analyses must recognize an interplay between the two factors. Further, the inquiry suggests that the family (with female as well as male components considered) must 'in a real sense' be conceptualized as the foundation of the upper class. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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