Empire and feminism

Empire and feminism
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Acknowledging the imperial context of feminism is a crucial aspect of understanding the British women's movement. The intertwined nature of empire and feminism reveals how societal structures shaped the perceptions of white women as morally pure vessels of society while viewing women in colonized regions as in need of salvation. Influenced by imperial assumptions, modern Western feminism has evolved, driven by a sense of maternal responsibility and a secular burden. Notably, figures like Mary Carpenter and Josephine Butler played pivotal roles in advocating for female education, medical aid, and the eradication of prostitution, all under the framework of British imperial feminism.

  • Empire
  • Feminism
  • Imperialism
  • Western Feminism
  • British Women

Uploaded on Feb 15, 2025 | 0 Views


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  1. Empire and feminism The White Woman s Burden

  2. Imperial context of feminism Acknowledging the impact of empire on the British women s movement is one of the most urgent projects of late twentieth-century Western feminism . Liberal bourgeois feminism its premises compatible with an imperial ethos; Structured around the idea of moral responsibility (aid, charity) Empire a fact of life; imbued a sense of national and racial superiority an organizing principle of Victorian society; F Nightingale: India as a home issue Empire an integral and enabling part of the woman question (cleared ideological and practical space for women)

  3. The lady with the lamp

  4. Imperial citizenship Superiority of white women as morally pure, nurturing social service in the name of womanhood Race preservation women as mothers of the race Vessels of society; responsible imperial citizens

  5. Indian womanwhite womans burden Not seen as equals, but in need of saving (ignoring the feminist reform activities of Indian women); larger belief that British presence would improve India A foil against which to gauge their own progress Modern Western feminism influenced by imperial assumptions of the day a secular burden; maternal feminism Colony site of reform

  6. Mary Carpenter (1807-1877) educational and social reformer

  7. Causes: British imperial feminism in action Female education Medical aid Eradicating prostitution

  8. Josephine Butler (1828-1906) British feminist and social reformer

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