Creating Socialist Women in Japan: Gender, Labour and Activism, 1900-1937

by Vera Mackie

Overview

This book tells the inspiring story of a group of women who challenged the expectations of their society in their writings and in their actions. Vera Mackie surveys the development of socialist women's activism in Japan from the 1900s to the 1930s, in the broader context of the industrial and political development of modern Japan. She outlines the major socialist womens' organizations and their debates with their liberal and anarchist sisters. The book also offers close analyses of the political and creative writings of socialist women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521551373
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/13/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Imperial subjects; 3. Wives; 4. Mothers; 5. Workers; 6. Activists; 7. Creating socialist women 1903–37.

Editorial Reviews

"An invaluable contribution to the corpus of texts documenting feminist life internationally. Highly recommended." Choice

"Overall, Mackie's research is impressive and the book opens an avenue to a (con-)textual reading of history. As she says, this book uncovers ‘something which has been hidden from history'(p.21)." Tamae K. Prindle, Jrnl of Asian & African Studies

"Creating Socialist Women....offers much thought-provoking insight into the processes by which activist women's political ideas evolved and interacted with each other, with "male-stream" social movements, and with the state." Andrew Gordon, Journal of Japanese Studies

"This is a very ambitious effort to explore the "creation" of socialist women in modern Japan." Sharon Sievers, American Journal of Sociology

"...expert, comprehensive study." Jan Bardsley, NWSA Journal

"This will be the standard English-language work on this subject for some time." Sharon A. Minichiello, American Historical Review

"...the contextual richness of this tudy and the empathetic but sharply analytical insight that the author brings to her analysis makes it a fascinating read. This is an extremely well-researched piece of scholarship. All scholars of contemporary Japan will find this book to be provocative and richly informative." Pacific Affairs

"The book is rich and instructive illustration of how feminist movements, however much they may project universalistic images of egalitarianism and liberation, can only do so through an engagement of the ultimately limited and contradictory emancipatory potentials of specific historical, cultural, and social formations." Gender & Society

From the Publisher