Women and Radicalism in the Nineteenth Century

This is an important collection of writings by, or about women connected with nineteenth-century radicalism.

It presents two significant new angles to the subject: focus upon writings with working-class rather than middle and upper-class origins, and a concentration on the first, rather than the second half of the nineteenth century.

As a result, both the Suffragette and later Victorian feminist movements do not figure prominently in this publication - instead it features the writings of women who made important yet relatively unknown contributions to Radicalism, Owenism, Chartism and Feminism, most notably: Susannah Wright, Eliza Sharples, Frances Wright, Helen Macfarlane, Anna Wheeler, Frances Morrison and Eliza Macauley.

The collection is organised around the following key themes: the question of women's political, social and economic rights the use of the figure of 'woman' within the radical and working-class movements the role of women within the radical, trade union, Owenite, Chartist and other 'social' movements the discussion of gender roles, family structures, personal relationships and sexuality