2015 marked the centenary of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP), a professional network who celebrated at their conference in Cardiff, Wales that year. It was also the centenary of Edith Smith being sworn in as a constable in…
Category: Blog and News
News items of interest to WHN Members
Disability and the Perpetually Unwell Woman in Late Victorian Medical Literature – by Lucy McCormick
‘Perfect health is a blessing to all, but it means even more to women than men.’[1] Eminent Victorian doctor Thomas Smith Clouston’s statement implied that women’s health limited them in a way that did not apply to men — a…
Liberation from Nukes: Lessons from Greenham and Grandma – by Sophie Sharp
As a pacifist who is deeply concerned about environmental devastation, I have been captivated by the stories of the women who dedicated their time and energy to protest the positioning of ninety-six nuclear cruise missiles at the Royal Air Force…
The Politics of Tallulah Bankhead – Ashley Steenson
American actress Tallulah Bankhead experienced a resurgence in popular culture after the release of Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood (2020) and Lee Daniels’ The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday (2021). Both Paget Brewster’s portrayal of Tallulah in Hollywood and Natasha Lyonne’s portrayal in…
New Book – Anti-Fascism, Gender, and International Communism: The Comité Mondial Des Femmes Contre la Guerre Et Le Fascisme, 1934-1941
Anti-Fascism, Gender, and International Communism provides a comprehensive history of the Comite mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme (CMF), an international women’s organisation concerned with confronting the impact of fascism on women and children across the globe. Women played an…
Hero or helper-maiden? Medea in the Argonautica – Maddison Kelly
Medea is one of the most well-known characters in Greek literature and perhaps the most changeable. Made famous in antiquity by Euripides, Apollonius of Rhodes, Seneca, Ovid, and others; betrayed by the man she loved and made infamous for her…
Women’s History Today – Call for Papers for Autumn 2023
The 2022 Platinum Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth, as well as her state funeral, highlighted the importance of commemoration in the life of a nation. For Britain, these two instances of commemoration were focused on female representations of nationhood. Women’s History…
Call for Papers: Women, Money and Markets (1600-1950) – Sheffield Hallam University 12-14 June 2023
This annually-held conference addresses the role of women in consumerism, shopping, global trade, domestic trade, markets (literary and otherwise), currency, and varying practices of exchange. The conference is interdisciplinary in nature, bridging literature, material culture, gender studies, theatre and economic…
‘For I shall never be easey till I know the truth of my dear son’: The Forgotten Experiences of London Foundling Hospital Mothers – Ellie Gregory
Dedicated to Mary Philomena Collins, and every mother in history who has experienced the pain of being separated from their child. The London Foundling Hospital was founded in 1739 by philanthropist Thomas Coram for the ‘maintenance and education of exposed…