Her Proper Place: Early Twentieth Century Feminism in Public
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Date of Award
8-14-2024
Abstract
This thesis investigates the role specific places played in women’s advocacy in the early twentieth century in three countries of the North Atlantic—England, the United States and Canada. Women altered the definition of proper public behavior by engaging in public activism for various issues regarding individual rights, suffrage, or raising awareness for social ills. Analyzing the effects of women engaging in public space and spectacle in the first decades of the twentieth century, this thesis argues that women meticulously negotiated space in traditionally closed arenas. As a result, these women and their activities became an undeniable topic of public discourse. This thesis examines the implications of their struggle for public space. This thesis focuses on three places in which women advocated for change: the theater stage upon which women questioned social mores, the public street on which women protested and exposed inequities, and the prison made public through shared stories of deprivation.
Advisor
Mylynka Cardona
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Platt, April Helene, "Her Proper Place: Early Twentieth Century Feminism in Public" (2024). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 1200.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/1200
