History Post-confederation (1867-)
From Left to Right
Maternalism and Women’s Political Activism in Postwar Canada
- Publisher
- UBC Press
- Initial publish date
- Jul 2016
- Category
- Post-Confederation (1867-), History & Theory, Women's Studies
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9780774832113
- Publish Date
- Jul 2016
- List Price
- $24.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780774832090
- Publish Date
- Jan 2017
- List Price
- $32.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780774832083
- Publish Date
- Jun 2016
- List Price
- $95.00
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Description
In From Left to Right, Brian Thorn explores what motivated Canadian women to become politically engaged in the 1940s and ’50s. Although women in these decades are often depicted as being trapped in the suburbs, they joined diverse political parties, including the CCF, Social Credit, and the Communist Party of Canada. Thorn argues, controversially, that while women on the “left” and “right” had different goals, their activism continued to be informed by maternalism. They used their roles as wives and mothers to influence their parties’ positions and to break down barriers. Along the way, they laid the foundations for the 1960s feminist movement.
About the author
Contributor Notes
Brian T. Thorn teaches English and history at Nipissing University. His scholarly articles dealing with Canadian political, labour, intellectual, and gender history have appeared in Left History, Histoire sociale/Social History, and Labour/Le Travail.