Feminism Unfinished
by Dorothy Sue Cobble, Linda Gordon, & Astrid Henry
A Short, Surprising History of American Women's Movements
Eschewing the conventional wisdom that places the origins of the American women’s movement in the nostalgic glow of the late 1960's, Feminism Unfinished traces the beginnings of this seminal American social movement to the 1920's, in the process creating an expanded, historical narrative that dramatically rewrites a century of American women’s history. Also challenging the contemporary “lean-in,” trickle-down feminist philosophy and asserting that women’s histories all too often depoliticize politics, labor issues, and divergent economic circumstances, Dorothy Sue Cobble, Linda Gordon, and Astrid Henry demonstrate that the post-Suffrage women’s movement focused on the exploitation of women in the workplace as well as on inherent sexual rights. The authors carefully revise our “wave” vision of feminism, which previously suggested that there were clear breaks and sharp divisions within these media-driven “waves.” Showing how history books have obscured the notable activism by working-class and minority women in the past, Feminism Unfinished provides a much-needed corrective.
Reviews
“The authors…pose a rich, radical history of women's struggles… This is a necessary book.” —Sarah Leonard, The Nation
“A quick, compelling and astute history of the women's movement from the 1920s to today and the first major history of women's political, social and economic progress in the United States in a generation.”
—Scott Porch, Chicago Tribune
“Edgy and important, Feminism Unfinished gives us one hundred years of feminist activism across all divides of class, race, and difference. It is a powerful corrective to hearten us in these mean times: The Global Feminist Movement Is Unfinished, and Everywhere Ongoing.”
—Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt
“Forcefully disrupting misguided clichés, this pointed narrative highlights the transformative ideas and innovations driven by many generations of American women struggling for equal justice and aiming to be individuals and full citizens. Here, the full and continuous range of feminist efforts springs to life, tumultuous and internally varied as it was.”
—Nancy F. Cott, Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard University
