Dreamers of a New Day : Women Who Invented the Twentieth Century

"From the 1880s to the 1920s, a profound social awakening among women extended the possibilities of change far beyond the struggle for the vote. Amid the growth of globalized trade, mass production, immigration and urban slums, American and British women broke with custom and prejudice. Taking off corsets, forming free unions, living communally, buying ethically, joining trade unions, doing social work in settlements, these "dreamers of a new day" challenged ideas about sexuality, mothering, housework, the economy and citizenship. Drawing on a wealth of research, Sheila Rowbotham has written a groundbreaking new history that shows how women created much of the fabric of modern life. These innovative dreamers raised questions that remain at the forefront of our twenty-first-century lives."--Publisher's website. Amid The Growth Of Globalized Trade, Mass Production, Immigration And Urban Slums That Dominated The Period From The 1880s To The Onset Of The First World War, An Awakening Was Taking Place Among American And British Women. Across The Atlantic And Across Political Boundaries -- Anarchists To Liberals, Feminists And Non-feminists -- Female Pioneers Shared A Sense That Social Change Was Possible, And Acted Upon That Belief. Dreamers Of A New Day Explores A Period, From The Belle époque To The Roaring Twenties, When Women Overturned Social Norms And Assumptions As They Struggled To Define Themselves As Individuals. Forming Broad Coalitions And Movements, They Transformed The Conditions Of Their Own Lives, Decades Before The Intellectuals Of The 1960s Conceptualized Everyday Life As An Arena For Radical Activity. Drawing On A Wealth Of Original Research, Sheila Rowbotham Has Written A Groundbreaking New History Examining How Women Came To Be Modern. Challenging Existing Conceptions Of Citizenship And Culture, From Ethical Living To Consumerism, Sexuality To Democracy, These Dreamers Shaped Many Of The Issues That Remain At The Forefront Of Twenty-first-century Life.--jacket. Adventurers In The Everyday -- How To Be -- The Problem Of Sex -- What Every Girl Should Know -- Motherhood -- New Housework : New Homes -- Consumer Power -- Labour Problems -- Reworking Work -- Democratizing Daily Life : Redesigning Democracy. Sheila Rowbotham. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [245]-[295]) And Index. From the 1880s to the 1920s, a profound social awakening among women extended the possibilities of change far beyond the struggle for the vote. Amid the growth of globalized trade, mass production, immigration and urban slums, American and British women broke with custom and prejudice. Taking off corsets, forming free unions, living communally, buying ethically, joining trade unions, doing social work in settlements, these "dreamers of a new day" challenged ideas about sexuality, mothering, housework, the economy and citizenship.

Drawing on a wealth of research, Sheila Rowbotham has written a groundbreaking new history that shows how women created much of the fabric of modern life. These innovative dreamers raised questions that remain at the forefront of our twenty-first-century lives.

Introduction Adventurers in the everyday How to be The problem of sex 'What every girl should know' Motherhood New housework : new homes Consumer power Labour problems Reworking work Democratizing daily life : redesigning democracy Conclusion.