Deans of Women and the Feminist Movement: Emily Taylor's Activism [Hardcover]

This book explores how deans of women actively fostered feminism in the mid-twentieth century through a study of the career of Dr. Emily Taylor, the University of Kansas dean of women from 1956-1974. Sartorius links feminist activism by deans of women with labor activism, the New Left movement, and the later rise of women's studies as a discipline.1. Visions of Economic Citizenship 2. Practicing Political Citizenship 3. Unlocking Women's Autonomy 4. A World without Parietals 5. The Dean of Women in the Age of Protest 6. From Quiet Activism to Radical Tactics 7. From Deans to Presidents

A significant contribution to the history of feminism and of higher education in the United States, Deans of Women and the Feminist Movement explores women deans' commitment to gender parity in education and work from the early twentieth century. Using Emily Taylor's career as a lens, the book uncovers feminist work in the academy from the 1930s to the 1970s and decisively challenges a range of assumptions about feminist activism in these decades: that feminism went quiescent, that feminists were largely on the political left in American cities, and that the academy was a site of social conformity. - Mary Ann Dzuback, Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, USA, and author of Robert M. Hutchins: Portrait of an Educator

Drawing on fresh archival research and extensive oral history interviews with the University of Kansas's Emily Taylor, one of the era's most important deans, Sartorius's engaging book opens up a new chapter in writing about the history of student affairs and the history of women in education. Sartorius paints a compelling portrait of Taylor and provides a persuasive account of how modern deans of women helped empower women and fought for gender equity in higher education. - Andrea Walton, Associate Professor of Education and Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, USA