Feminist London: Activism in the City

This course investigates the relationship between feminism and London: how feminists drew their inspiration from its slums, alleyways, and workplaces; its markets and marketplaces; its domestic spaces; its artistic hubs; and its private members-only clubs. Focusing on the period from the mid-eighteenth century to the present, it examines both individual activists and writers as diverse as Mary Wollstonecraft, Annie Besant, Olive Morris, and Bernardine Evaristo, as well as collective campaigns around issues such as workers' rights, birth control, and racial discrimination to chart the ways in which feminists appropriated the terrain of urban space to advance their appeals for equality. Topics explored include: women's writing, sexuality, consumerism, class dynamics, campaigns for political rights and representation, fashion and style, imperialism and its legacies, feminism and popular culture, Black & Asian feminisms, and the impact of social media upon feminist activism and discourse.

Course is cross-listed with GEN336.