CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
| Author | Wilkins, Kiera Natalie |
|---|---|
| Title | Daring and Defiant: Helen Crawfurd (1877-1954), Scottish Suffragette and International Communist |
| Summary | This thesis is based upon the political activism of Helen Crawfurd (1877-1954), Scottish suffragette and communist internationalist. Through invoking a biographical approach, I argue that Crawfurd’s political experience can shed light upon the complexities of women’s activism in early-20th-century Britain. This thesis analyses three key pillars of Crawfurd’s activism: the campaign for women’s suffrage, the era of Red Clydeside in Glasgow, and communist internationalism. The over-compartmentalisation of women’s activism in British historiography has led to the omission of vital connections between actors, movements and political ideas. This thesis thus seeks to surpass the confines of methodological nationalism by illustrating various instances of transnational connections and organising that were present locally and nationally. By focusing on Crawfurd’s lived experience of communist internationalism, I offer an analysis of her politics that challenges the dominance of political history writing; asserting the importance on the personal and the everyday, as opposed to so-called high politics. Through analysing local movements, I also illustrate instances of resistance and divergence that have been widely overlooked in the writing of national history. Ultimately, this thesis posits that Helen Crawfurd has been widely neglected by historiography because of her gender, locality and her commitment to communist internationalism. Such historiographical tendencies undoubtedly continue to contribute to marginalization of historically important women, both in Britain, and further afield. |
| Supervisor | De Haan, Francisca |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/wilkins_kiera.pdf |
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