From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Radium Girls comes another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman hero whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women's rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today. 1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened-by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So he makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum. The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line-conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored. No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose... Bestselling author Kate Moore brings her sparkling narrative voice to The Woman They Could Not Silence, an unputdownable story of the forgotten woman who courageously fought for her own freedom-and in so doing freed millions more. Elizabeth's refusal to be silenced and her ceaseless quest for justice not only challenged the medical science of the day, and led to a giant leap forward in human rights, it also showcased the most salutary lesson: sometimes, the greatest heroes we have are those inside ourselves. Praise for The Woman They Could Not Silence: "Like Radium Girls, this volume is a page-turner."-Library Journal, STARRED review "A veritable tour de force about how far women's rights have come and how far we still have to go...Put this book in the hands of every young feminist."-Booklist, STARRED review "In Moore's expert hands, this beautifully-written tale unspools with drama and power, and puts Elizabeth Packard on the map at the most relevant moment imaginable. You will be riveted-and inspired. Bravo!"-Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls

Much of our understanding of the world, our societies, and ourselves rests on theories and knowledge generated predominantly by men of certain nationalities and economic classes. This male-dominated and culturally specific theorizing and knowledge have generally resulted in the exclusion of women and other groups from the process of formal theorizing and knowledge building. Feminism argues that the male-dominated knowledge represents a skewed perception of reality and is only partial knowledge. Feminism is a generalized, wide-ranging system of ideas about social life and human experience developed from a woman-centered perspective. It treats women as the central subjects in the investigative process and seeks to see the world from the distinctive vantage points of women in the social world. The best way to empower women and better the situation for women is to take women's daily experiences and their informal theorizing into account and, on this basis, adopt feminist approaches to building theory and knowledge. Philosophising Experiences and Vision of the Female Body, Mind, and Soul: Historical Context and Contemporary Theory provides an overview and introduction to the study of feminist theory and practice in the social sciences. This book provides a starting point for further and more advanced study of the nexus of feminism, gender, and development and translates feminist theory and concepts into practice. The chapters investigate, in a historical context, mainstream and contemporary theories of feminism and gender studies. This book is ideal for post-graduate students of social science; researchers of development management, business management, public governance, and gender and development; activists; feminists; and practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in feminist theory and knowledge building.

The evolution of how gender and feminism have been portrayed within media and literature has changed dramatically over the years as society continues to understand the importance of representation within entertainment. To fully understand how the field has changed, further study on the current and past forms of media representation is required. The Handbook of Research on Gender Studies and Feminism in Literature and Media engages with literary texts, digital media, films, and art to consider the relevant issues and empowerment strategies of feminism and gender and discusses the latest theories and ideas. Covering topics such as gender performativity, homophobia, patriarchy, sexuality, LGBTQ community, digital studies, and empowerment strategies, this major reference work is ideal for government officials, policymakers, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.

A unique blend of memoir and public history, Packinghouse Daughter, winner of the Minnesota Book Award, tells a compelling story of small-town, working-class life. The daughter of a Wilson & Company millwright, Cheri Register recalls the 1959 meatpackers' strike that divided her hometown of Albert Lea, Minnesota. The violence that erupted when the company "replaced" its union workers with strikebreakers tested family loyalty and community stability. Register skillfully interweaves her own memories, historical research, and oral interviews into a narrative that is thoughtful and impassioned about the value of blue-collar work and the dignity of those who do it.

When opposition to gender equality and LGBTQIA+ policies is growing in both Europe and at a global scale with increasing attacks on gender and sexuality norms and violations of women's and other minority groups' rights, it is crucial to further improve the feminist scholarly understanding of opposition to gender+ equality in times of de-democratisation. Gender and the Politics of Crises in Times of De-Democratisation seeks to broaden the current scope of literature on opposition to gender+ equality towards democracy, laws, politics and policymaking procedures. The book focuses on ten case studies, comprising opposition to gender+ equality policies at the EU, regional, local and national levels. With its strong interdisciplinary and original focus on bringing together distinct scholarships and the variety of topics covered, starting from employment policies through gender and representation to gender-based violence, the book is beneficial for not only gender studies students and scholars, but also for feminist activists, political and policy actors and anyone who is interested in achieving social justice.

In contrast to other literary genres, drama has received little attention in southern studies, and women playwrights in general receive less recognition than their male counterparts. In Marginalized: Southern Women Playwrights Confront Race, Region, and Gender, author Casey Kayser addresses these gaps by examining the work of southern women playwrights, making the argument that representations of the American South on stage are complicated by difficulties of identity, genre, and region. Through analysis of the dramatic texts, the rhetoric of reviews of productions, as well as what the playwrights themselves have said about their plays and productions, Kayser delineates these challenges and argues that playwrights draw on various conscious strategies in response. These strategies, evident in the work of such playwrights as Pearl Cleage, Sandra Deer, Lillian Hellman, Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, and Shay Youngblood, provide them with the opportunity to lead audiences to reconsider monolithic understandings of northern and southern regions and, ultimately, create new visions of the South.