Righting Feminism

Conservative Women and American Politics
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-19-991702-0
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 324 g

When we think of women's activism in America, liberal figures such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan invariably come to mind. But women's interests are not synonymous with organizations like NOW anymore. As Ronnee Schreiber shows, the conservative ascendancy that began in the Reagan era has been accompanied by the emergence of a broad-based conservative women's movement.

Righting Feminism shows that one of the key--albeit overlooked--developments in political activism since the 1980s has been the emergence of conservative women's organizations. It focuses on Concerned Women for America and the Independent Women's Forum to reveal how they are using feminist rhetoric for conservative ends: outlawing abortion, restricting pornography, and bolstering the traditional family. But ironically, these organizations face a paradox: to combat the legacy of feminism--particularly its appeal to the majority of American women--they must use the rhetoric of women's empowerment. Indeed, Schreiber amply illustrates how conservative activists are often the beneficiaries of the very feminist politics they oppose. Yet just as importantly, she demolishes two widely believed truisms: that conservatism holds no appeal to women and that modern conservatism is hostile to the very notion of women's activism.
And, in this updated edition, Schreiber takes the story forward with an epilogue that considers the ways in which the politics of representation have changed for both conservative women and feminist activists in the wake of the political ascendency of figures including Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann.

Based on numerous interviews with colorful conservative activists and extensive analyses of organizational documents, Righting Feminism offers a new way of understanding the unlikely intersection of women's activism and conservative politics in America today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schreiber, Ronnee

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Konservativismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Feminismus, Feministische Theorie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Conservative Women's Political Activism

3. Playing Femball: CWA and IWF as Women's Organizations

4. Are Women Victims?: Violence Against Women

5. Finding Common Ground: Constructing Mothers' Interests

6. Representing Women's Health Interests

7. Conclusion: The Political Implications of Conservative Women's Activism

Epilogue

Appendix A

Appendix B

Bibliography

Notes

Über Autor(innen)

Associate Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University.