While obviously historical, he wants to analyze it from a perspective informed by contemporary social and feminist theory, focusing in particular on the significance of race, class and gender indentities in the movement. As this is not at all my area of expertise, any suggestions about where to start with this research would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much. Blee is a sociologist at U of Kentucky.
Harper appears in many books and collections on African American women.
The authors give the WCTU major credit for many campaigns to get state legislatures to submit suffrage amendments to the voters. In the 19 century the WCTU was large and the suffrage organizations were small. Frequently the head of the Suffrage Department of the WCTU would found, or be a part of the leadership, in the state Equal Suffrage Association. Too many works end in the 1890s, with the death of Frances Willard, and ignore the massive growth of the WCTU outside the U.S. and Britain in the 20th century. Certainly for race, and perhaps for class as well, in studying the WCTU the starting point must be the basic question of the group's willingness to include black women at all.