Causes in Common

Welsh Women and the Struggle for Social Democracy

Author(s) Daryl Leeworthy

Language: English

Genre(s): Welsh Interest, History

  • April 2022 · 192 pages ·198x129mm

  • · Paperback - 9781786838544
  • · eBook - pdf - 9781786838551
  • · eBook - epub - 9781786838568

About The Book

Causes in Common tells the compelling and revealing story of women's politics in modern Wales. Its panoramic sweep takes the reader on a journey from the nineteenth-century campaigns in support of democracy and the right to vote, and in opposition to slavery, through to the construction of the labour movement in the twentieth century, and on to the more recent demands for sexual liberation and LGBTQ+ rights. At its core is the argument that the Welsh women’s movement was committed to social democracy, rather than to liberal or conservative alternatives, and that material conditions were the central motivation of those women involved. Drawing on an array of sources, some of which appear in print for the first time, this is a vivid portrait of women who, out of a struggle for equality, individually and collectively became political activists, grassroots journalists, members of councils and parliaments, and inspirational community leaders.

Endorsements

‘Leeworthy breaks new ground in examining and retelling the story of women’s contribution to Welsh labour history. A highly enjoyable book and rich in detail, it succeeds in bringing to life those often overlooked women of the past who have helped to shape contemporary Wales.’
Dr Chris Chapman, former Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Cynon Valley

Contents

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1.Women and Politics Before the Vote
2.A Women’s Labour Party
3.Between the Acts
4.Against Austerity and War
5.Raising Consciousness
6.Women’s Liberation, Now!
Conclusion
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

About the Author(s)

Author(s): Daryl Leeworthy

Daryl Leeworthy is the Rhys Davies Trust Research Fellow at Swansea University.

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