In Reforming Women, Lisa Shaver locates the emergence of a distinct
women’s rhetoric and feminist consciousness in the American Female
Moral Reform Society. Established in 1834, the society took aim at
prostitution, brothels, and the lascivious behavior increasingly
visible in America’s industrializing cities. In particular, female
moral reformers contested the double standard that overlooked
promiscuous behavior in men while harshly condemning women for the
same offense. Their ardent rhetoric resonated with women across the
country. With its widely-read periodical and auxiliary societies
representing more than 50,000 women, the American Female Moral Reform
Society became the first national reform movement organized, led, and
comprised solely by women. Drawing on an in-depth examination of the
group’s periodical, Reforming Women delineates essential rhetorical
tactics including women’s strategic use of gender, the periodical
press, anger, presence, auxiliary societies, and institutional
rhetoric—tactics women’s reform efforts would use throughout the
nineteenth century. Almost two centuries later, female moral
reformers’ rhetoric resonates today as our society continues to
struggle with different moral expectations for men and women.
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The Rhetorical Tactics of the American Female Moral Reform Society, 1834-1854
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780822986461
Publisert
2024
Utgiver
University of Pittsburgh Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter