Women’s Activism in the Transatlantic Consumers’ Leagues, 1885–1920

Research output: Book/ReportBookAcademic

Abstract

Ethical consumption and consumer choice are at the heart of public debates today, but consumer activism has a long history. At the end of the nineteenth century, groups of women activists in different countries weaponised their reputation as consumers to mount campaigns against labour exploitation. By the early twentieth century, they had built an international network of Consumers’ Leagues that influenced public opinion and achieved legislative change. Analysing the campaign writing of women activists, including both well-known and recently rediscovered historical figures, Flore Janssen provides new insights into the campaigns that underpinned important developments in the rights of workers and the social position of women. Highlighting the social, economic and political influence of women as activists, this book discusses campaign strategies, but also draws attention to problematic politics within these campaigns. Through its critically contextualised analysis of this specific consumer movement, the book reveals the origins of many consumer campaign strategies that remain familiar today.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationEdinburgh
PublisherEdinburgh University Press
Number of pages224
ISBN (Print)9781474497985
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Publication series

NameNineteenth-Century and Neo-Victorian Cultures
PublisherEdinburgh University Press

Keywords

  • campaign rhetoric
  • Clementina Black
  • consumer activism
  • Consumers' League
  • ethical shopping
  • gender
  • social class

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