Rethinking first-wave feminism through the ideas of Emily Murphy
| dc.contributor.author | Smith, Alisa Dawn | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Marks, Lynne Sorrel | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-21T21:16:12Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-21T21:16:12Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1997 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This examination of the ideas of Emily Murphy--Alberta reformer, journalist, and magistrate--offers a new portrayal of a first-wave feminist in Canada. Rather than exhibiting the maternalism which historians ascribe to the movement, this prominent feminist believed that men and women were fundamentally equal, with gender differences caused by social and historical forces. This study takes a new analytical approach, combining recent historical interest in the radical potential of the feminist movement, with a study of early feminist ideas of race, class, and gender. Murphy' s ideas are contextualized within the range of ideas held by her contemporaries. The result is a nuanced portrayal revealing both feminism's liberatory potential and its flaws. As Murphy has been held up as a typical "racist" and "maternal" feminist--and these designations prove inadequate--this study suggests that historians need to revisit the ideas of the first-wave feminists. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22639 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.subject.department | Department of History | |
| dc.title | Rethinking first-wave feminism through the ideas of Emily Murphy | |
| dc.type | Thesis |