Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold traces the evolution of the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the mid-1930s up to the early 1960s. Drawing upon the oral histories of 45 women, it is the first comprehensive history of a working-class lesbian community. These poignant and complex stories show how black and white working-class lesbians, although living under oppressive circumstances, nevertheless became powerful agents of historical change. Kennedy and Davis provide a unique insider's perspective on butch-fem culture and argue that the roots of gay and lesbian liberation are found specifically in the determined resistance of working-class lesbians. This 20th anniversary edition republishes the book for a new generation of readers. It includes a new preface in which the authors reflect on where the last 20 years have taken them, and reminisce about the process of creating Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold. For anyone interested in lesbian life during the 1950s, or in the dynamics of butch-fem culture, this study remains the one that set the highest standard for all oral histories and ethnographies of lesbian communities anywhere.

Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold traces the evolution of the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the mid-1930s up to the early 1960s. Drawing upon the oral histories of 45 women, it is the first comprehensive history of a working-class lesbian community. These poignant and complex stories show how black and white working-class lesbians, although living under oppressive circumstances, nevertheless became powerful agents of historical change. Kennedy and Davis provide a unique insider's perspective on butch-fem culture and argue that the roots of gay and lesbian liberation are found specifically in the determined resistance of working-class lesbians. This 20th anniversary edition republishes the book for a new generation of readers. It includes a new preface in which the authors reflect on where the last 20 years have taken them, and reminisce about the process of creating Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold. For anyone interested in lesbian life during the 1950s, or in the dynamics of butch-fem culture, this study remains the one that set the highest standard for all oral histories and ethnographies of lesbian communities anywhere.

"A ringing endorsement of the necessity of feminism to women's studies and of women's studies to the contemporary university, Women's Studies for the Future advances the field past the impasse between activism and poststructuralist theory and past paralyzing doubts about the viability of the category of women."-Judith Kegan Gardiner, editor of Masculinity Studies and Feminist Theory: New Directions "This collection provides insight on the institutional 'next steps' that will advance the field of women's studies and answers many of the academy's questions regarding the role and scope of our mandate."-Susan Van Dyne, professor and chair of the women's studies program, Smith College Established as an academic field in the 1970s, women's studies is a relatively young but rapidly growing area of study. Not only has the number of scholars working in this subject expanded exponentially, but women's studies has become institutionalized, offering graduate degrees and taking on departmental status in many colleges and universities. At the same time, this field-formed in the wake of the feminist movement-is finding itself in a precarious position in what is now often called a "post-feminist" society. This raises challenging issues for faculty, students, and administrators. How must the field adjust its goals and methods to continue to affect change in the future? Bringing together essays by newcomers as well as veterans to the field, this essential volume addresses timely questions including: .Without a unitary understanding of the subject-woman-what is the focus of women's studies? . How can women's studies fulfill the promise of interdisciplinarity? .What is the continuing place of activism in women's studies? .What are the best ways to think about, teach, and act upon the intersections of race, class, gender, disability, nation, and sexuality? Offering innovative models for research and teaching, Women's Studies for the Future ensures the continued relevance and influence of this developing field. Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy is a professor in the women's studies department at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Agatha Beins has an M.A. in women's studies from the University of Arizona and an MFA from Eastern Washington University.