The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918
Dollard's work makes important contributions to German cultural history, social history, and gender history, focusing attention on the construction of the stereotype of single women as abnormal, a problem to be solved, in Imperial Germany, and the way that the German women's movement co-opted this icon for its own purposes of reform. She also brings to attention several lesser-known German female activists who have often been overlooked. German Studies Review

[This book] is a considerable achievement. The Surplus Woman is essential reading not only for feminist historians but also for anyone with an interest in gender politics and culture and deserves a wide audience. Reviews in History

Dollard's insightful analysis of the centrality of the female surplus to women's rights activists is all the more provocative given that she so convincingly demonstrates in her first chapter that the surplus was a myth. Journal of Modern History

...transcends the usual analytical approach of earlier work...[and] examines a very broad spectrum of reformist, conservative, academic, socialist, feminist, and religious writers...It represents a new contribution to our understanding of the German women's movement. Nancy Reagin, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Pace University

...the book is engaging, exciting and challenging to read because it provides a new framework for known material. It is also well written and at times poignant, examining the contradictory worlds of single women as construct and reality and showing their place in women activists' diverse efforts to challenge and reform their society. English Historical Review

The first German women's movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the Frauenüberschuß, as a central leitmotif in the campaign for reform. Proponents of the female surplus held that the advances of industry and urbanization had upset traditional marriage patterns and left too many bourgeois women without a husband. This book explores the ways in which the realms of literature, sexology, demography, socialism, and female activism addressed the perceived plight of unwed women. Case studies of reformers, including Lily Braun, Ruth Bré, Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne, Helene Lange, Alice Salomon, Helene Stöcker, and Clara Zetkin, demonstrate the expansive influence of the discourse surrounding a female surfeit. By combining the approaches of cultural, social, and gender history, The Surplus Woman provides the first sustained analysis of the ways in which imperial Germans conceptualized anxiety about female marital status as both a product and a reflection of changing times.

Catherine L. Dollard received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently is Associate Professor of History at Denison University. She is the recipient of Bundeskanzler and Renewal Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and also has received fellowships from DAAD, the Mellon Foundation, and the Lilly Foundation.

1111767986
The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918
Dollard's work makes important contributions to German cultural history, social history, and gender history, focusing attention on the construction of the stereotype of single women as abnormal, a problem to be solved, in Imperial Germany, and the way that the German women's movement co-opted this icon for its own purposes of reform. She also brings to attention several lesser-known German female activists who have often been overlooked. German Studies Review

[This book] is a considerable achievement. The Surplus Woman is essential reading not only for feminist historians but also for anyone with an interest in gender politics and culture and deserves a wide audience. Reviews in History

Dollard's insightful analysis of the centrality of the female surplus to women's rights activists is all the more provocative given that she so convincingly demonstrates in her first chapter that the surplus was a myth. Journal of Modern History

...transcends the usual analytical approach of earlier work...[and] examines a very broad spectrum of reformist, conservative, academic, socialist, feminist, and religious writers...It represents a new contribution to our understanding of the German women's movement. Nancy Reagin, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Pace University

...the book is engaging, exciting and challenging to read because it provides a new framework for known material. It is also well written and at times poignant, examining the contradictory worlds of single women as construct and reality and showing their place in women activists' diverse efforts to challenge and reform their society. English Historical Review

The first German women's movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the Frauenüberschuß, as a central leitmotif in the campaign for reform. Proponents of the female surplus held that the advances of industry and urbanization had upset traditional marriage patterns and left too many bourgeois women without a husband. This book explores the ways in which the realms of literature, sexology, demography, socialism, and female activism addressed the perceived plight of unwed women. Case studies of reformers, including Lily Braun, Ruth Bré, Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne, Helene Lange, Alice Salomon, Helene Stöcker, and Clara Zetkin, demonstrate the expansive influence of the discourse surrounding a female surfeit. By combining the approaches of cultural, social, and gender history, The Surplus Woman provides the first sustained analysis of the ways in which imperial Germans conceptualized anxiety about female marital status as both a product and a reflection of changing times.

Catherine L. Dollard received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently is Associate Professor of History at Denison University. She is the recipient of Bundeskanzler and Renewal Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and also has received fellowships from DAAD, the Mellon Foundation, and the Lilly Foundation.

19.95 In Stock
The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918

The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918

by Catherine L. Dollard
The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918

The Surplus Woman: Unmarried in Imperial Germany, 1871-1918

by Catherine L. Dollard

Paperback(Reprint)

$19.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Dollard's work makes important contributions to German cultural history, social history, and gender history, focusing attention on the construction of the stereotype of single women as abnormal, a problem to be solved, in Imperial Germany, and the way that the German women's movement co-opted this icon for its own purposes of reform. She also brings to attention several lesser-known German female activists who have often been overlooked. German Studies Review

[This book] is a considerable achievement. The Surplus Woman is essential reading not only for feminist historians but also for anyone with an interest in gender politics and culture and deserves a wide audience. Reviews in History

Dollard's insightful analysis of the centrality of the female surplus to women's rights activists is all the more provocative given that she so convincingly demonstrates in her first chapter that the surplus was a myth. Journal of Modern History

...transcends the usual analytical approach of earlier work...[and] examines a very broad spectrum of reformist, conservative, academic, socialist, feminist, and religious writers...It represents a new contribution to our understanding of the German women's movement. Nancy Reagin, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Pace University

...the book is engaging, exciting and challenging to read because it provides a new framework for known material. It is also well written and at times poignant, examining the contradictory worlds of single women as construct and reality and showing their place in women activists' diverse efforts to challenge and reform their society. English Historical Review

The first German women's movement embraced the belief in a demographic surplus of unwed women, known as the Frauenüberschuß, as a central leitmotif in the campaign for reform. Proponents of the female surplus held that the advances of industry and urbanization had upset traditional marriage patterns and left too many bourgeois women without a husband. This book explores the ways in which the realms of literature, sexology, demography, socialism, and female activism addressed the perceived plight of unwed women. Case studies of reformers, including Lily Braun, Ruth Bré, Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne, Helene Lange, Alice Salomon, Helene Stöcker, and Clara Zetkin, demonstrate the expansive influence of the discourse surrounding a female surfeit. By combining the approaches of cultural, social, and gender history, The Surplus Woman provides the first sustained analysis of the ways in which imperial Germans conceptualized anxiety about female marital status as both a product and a reflection of changing times.

Catherine L. Dollard received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently is Associate Professor of History at Denison University. She is the recipient of Bundeskanzler and Renewal Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and also has received fellowships from DAAD, the Mellon Foundation, and the Lilly Foundation.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780857453136
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Publication date: 01/01/2012
Series: Monographs in German History , #30
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 272
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Catherine L. Dollard received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently is Associate Professor of History at Denison University. She is the recipient of Bundeskanzler and Renewal Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and also has received fellowships from DAAD, the Mellon Foundation, and the Lilly Foundation.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations

Introduction: Single Women in Imperial Germany

PART I: DER FRAUENÜBERSCHUß - THE FEMALE SURPLUS

Chapter 1. The Alte Jungfer
Chapter 2. Sexology and the Single Woman
Chapter 3. Imagined Demography
Chapter 4. The Maternal Spirit

PART II: ALLEINSTEHENDE FRAUEN - WOMEN STANDING ALONE

Chapter 5. Moderate Activism: Helene Lange and Alice Salomon
Chapter 6. Radical Reform: Helene Stöcker, Ruth Bré, and Lily Braun
Chapter 7. Socialism and Singleness: Clara Zetkin
Chapter 8. Spiritual Salvation: Elisabeth Gnauck-Kühne

Conclusion: The Surplus Woman

Bibliography
Index

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews