"The truest form of patriotism" : pacifist feminism in Britain, 1870-1902

This text explores the pervasive influence of pacifism on Victorian feminism. Drawing on previously unused source material, it provides an account of Victorian women who campaigned for peace and the many feminists who incorporated pacifist ideas into their writing on women and women's work. This fascinating book explores the pervasive influence of pacifism on Victorian feminism. Drawing on previously unused source material, it provides an account of Victorian women who campaigned for peace and the many feminists who incorporated pacifist ideas into their writing on women and women's work. It explores feminists' ideas about the role of women within the empire, their eligibility for citizenship and their ability to act as moral guardians in public life. Brown shows that such ideas made use - in varying ways - of gendered understandings of the role of force and the relevance of arbitration and other pacifist strategies. 'The truest for of patriotism' examines the work of a wide range of individuals and organisations, from well-known feminists such as Lydia Becker, Josephine Butler and Millicent Garrett Fawcett, to lesser-known figures such as the Quaker pacifists Ellen Robinson and Priscilla Peckover. Women's work within male-dominated organisations, such as the Peace Society and the International Arbitration and Peace Association, is covered alongside single-sex organisations, such as the International Council of Women. Also reviewed are the arguments put forward in feminist journals like the Englishwoman's Review and the Women's Penny Paper. Brown uncovers a wide range of pacifist, internationalist and anti-imperialist strands in Victorian feminist thought, focusing on how these ideas developed within the political and organisational context of the time. This book will be of interest to anyone studying nineteenth-century social movements, and essential reading for those with an interest in the history of British feminism. This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book explores the pervasive influence of pacifism on Victorian feminism. It provides an account of Victorian women who campaigned for peace, and of the many feminists who incorporated pacifist ideas into their writing on women and gender. The book explores feminists'ideas about the role of women within the empire, their eligibility for citizenship, and their ability to act as moral guardians in public life. It shows that such ideas made use – in varying ways – of gendered understandings of the role of force and the relevance of arbitration and other pacifist strategies. The book examines the work of a wide range of individuals and organisations, from well-known feminists such as Lydia Becker, Josephine Butler and Millicent Garrett Fawcett to lesser-known figures such as the Quaker pacifists Ellen Robinson and Priscilla Peckover. Front matter Contents Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Introduction: Pacifism and feminism in Victorian Britain The physical force objection to women’s suffrage ‘The women of the whole world form . . . a unity’: feminist journals and peace questions ‘Conspicuous’ philanthropists: nonconformist religion in nineteenth-century pacifism ‘The antagonism of sex’: the Peace Society and women Priscilla Peckover and the ‘truest form of patriotism’ Ellen Robinson: ‘“United action” in Continental politics’ ‘Unity is strength’: the International Arbitration and Peace Association Awakening women: pacifist feminism in the IAPA ‘A new kind of patriotism’? British women in international politics Feminist responses to the second Anglo-Boer war, 1899–1902 Conclusion Select bibliography Index