This thesis challenges a historiography of British feminism of the 1970s which outlines a simplistic progression from unity towards fragmentation and disintegration. I argue that the divisions within feminism were much more complex than is assumed and that they were present from the very beginnings of the movement. Activities at grassroots level were as critical in the production of feminist theory as the major theorists, such as Kate Millett and Shulamith Firestone, who are most often cited. The project focuses largely on the internal structures and organisation of the women's movement as they developed over the 1970s, particularly in the London Women's Liberation Workshop. My principal concern is with written grassroots sources, such as the newsletter of the London Women's Liberation Workshop, national and sectarian conference papers, journals and pamphlets, all now located in various women's archives around Britain. The central section of the thesis discusses feminist fictional writing, poetry and art to show how a concern to develop theories about the position of women and the movement itself, was not limited to 'political' writings. Women's creative work did not simply display movement theory but was a part of its construction and development. The final section of the thesis takes these ideas into two specific areas of debate; domestic labour and violence against women. As in earlier sections, the concern is to look at the grassroots materials produced out of women's experiences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:342279 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Setch, Eve Grace |
| Publisher | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | . |
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