DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

The Political Thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Women's Rights and the American Political Traditions

Sue Davis author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:New York University Press

Published:1st Apr '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

This hardback is available in another edition too:

The Political Thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton cover

Political biography of one of the most important leaders of the nineteenth century women's rights movement as well as the movement's principal philosopher

2009 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was not only one of the most important leaders of the nineteenth century women’s rights movement but was also the movement’s principal philosopher. Her ideas both drew from and challenged the conventions that so severely constrained women’s choices and excluded them from public life.
In The Political Thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sue Davis argues that Cady Stanton’s work reflects the rich tapestry of American political culture in the second half of the nineteenth century and that she deserves recognition as a major figure in the history of political ideas. Davis reveals the way that Cady Stanton’s work drew from different political traditions ranging from liberalism, republicanism, inegalitarian ascriptivism, and radicalism. Cady Stanton’s arguments for women’s rights combined approaches that in contemporary feminist theory are perceived to involve conflicting strategies and visions. Nevertheless, her ideas had a major impact on the development of the varieties of feminism in the twentieth century.
Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, The Political Thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton draws on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources and promises to fill a gap in the literature on the history of political ideas in the United States as well as women’s history and feminist theory.

Davis does a brilliant job of analyzing (while not excusing) the political tacticsand often, political Machiavelliismthat the early feminist employed during her long, active life. * Feminist Review *
Davis's monograph is a valuable resource not only for scholars across the humanities...but also for those who wish to better understand American political culture and the history of ideas. -- Kristan Poirot * Rhetoric & Public Affairs *
Davis admirably succeeds in this book that integrates the conceptual and political legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton with current scholarship on heritage of the American liberal state. A must-read for students of American political development, womens rights, and legal theory. -- Eileen McDonagh,author of Breaking the Abortion Deadlock
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was open to any idea she encounteredold or new, conventional or innovatedexcept male supremacy. Daviss admirable book shows that this great feminists adaptability was both her best and worst characteristic. -- Judith Baer,author of Our Lives before the Law: Constructing a Feminist Jurisprudence
Scholars of American political thought have often failed to appreciate the significance of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Scholars of Cady Stanton have often not been deeply immersed in broader studies of American political thought. Daviss outstanding book rectifies both these deficiencies in ways that will have enduring value. -- Rogers M. Smith,author of Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of Political Membership
In this thoroughly researched, well-written, and engaging study, Davis reveals how Cady Stanton drew upon liberalism, republicanism, ascriptive forms of Americanism, and radicalism in advancing the cause of women's rights. Daviss historical institutionalist approach to the topic is most suited for demonstrating not only the way in which Cady Stanton, as a political actor, adjusted her arguments because of strategic consideration of the way they were received, but also the normative theoretical commitments that shaped the thinking of Cady Stanton as a political philosopher. The book is a must read for scholars of the history of political thought, feminist theory, and women's studies who wish to understand the full significance of Cady Stantons intellectual and political legacy for American political thought. . . . Highly recommended. * Choice *
A convincing case for Stanton’s significance as a central figure in the American political tradition. * Women’s Review of Books *

ISBN: 9780814719985

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 544g

309 pages