About this item
Highlights
- Between 1880 and 1920 many women researched the conditions of social and economic life in Western countries.
- About the Author: Ann Oakley is professor of sociology and social policy at the UCL Institute of Education.
- 368 Pages
- History, Women
Description
About the Book
Between 1880 and 1920 many women researched the conditions of social and economic life in Western countries, driven by a vision of a society based on welfare and altruism. Ann Oakley uses the women's stories to bring together the histories of social reform, social science, welfare and pacifism.Book Synopsis
Between 1880 and 1920 many women researched the conditions of social and economic life in Western countries. They were driven by a vision of a society based on welfare and altruism, rather than warfare and competition.
Ann Oakley, a leading sociologist, undertook extensive research to uncover this previously hidden cast of forgotten characters. She uses the women's stories to bring together the histories of social reform, social science, welfare and pacifism.
Her fascinating account reveals how their efforts, connected through thriving transnational networks, lie behind many features of modern welfare states and reminds us of their powerful vision of a more humane way of living - a vision that remains relevant today.
Review Quotes
"What distinguishes this new account...is that, whereas in many earlier studies the ideas and achievements of women have been portrayed as playing an important, but nonetheless largely subaltern, role in the wider evolution of the period, Ann Oakley's gripping narrative centres upon reform movements, scientific innovations and philosophical systems in which many of the major protagonists of change were themselves members of the female sex" Journal of Social Policy (Cambridge University Press)
About the Author
Ann Oakley is professor of sociology and social policy at the UCL Institute of Education.