Full Description
This book tells the story of a group of women affiliated with the United States Communist Party (CPUSA) who used a variety of rhetorical resources to build credibility and transform the party into a vibrant dwelling place for feminist discourse and activism during a conservative period. It evidences Communist women's significant and creative resistance to Cold War society and its visions of appropriate, "normal" womanhood alongside their pleas for class and race consciousness in a country that took for granted the white, middle-class aspirations of citizens. Drawing on Marxist theory, transnational coalitions, and Cold War culture, Communist women's rhetorical strategies were incredibly powerful, and this book provides insight into how they catalyzed changes in a rigid political movement by establishing a platform for their radical ideals.
Contents
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Cold War, Hot Commodities: Gendering Consumer Culture Post-WWII
2. Spheres of Influence: Building Credibility and Theory in Woman Against Myth, 1948
3. Voice and Visibility: Building Black Feminism in the Postwar Communist Party United States
4. "Articulate and Organized": Peace Petitions, Working-Class Motherhood, and Transnational Witnessing
5. "Long Range Propositions": Justifying Activism and Building Commitment
6. "The 100-Hour Work Week": The Housewife Ethos and Changes to the CPUSA
Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Author
