The Rhetoric of Reproduction and the Reconfiguration of Womanhood in the French Birth Control Movement, 1890-1920

Birth control movements that emerged in Europe and the United States during the last third of the nineteenth century lost their emancipatory and feminist potential in the twentieth century as they succumbed to control by the medical profession, eugenicists, and institutionalized goals of planned par...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family history 1996-07, Vol.21 (3), p.351-371
Main Author: Accampo, Elinor A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Birth Control
Family Planning Services - history
Femininity
Feminism
France
History
History of medicine
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Human reproduction
Humans
Politics
Population policy
Rhetoric
Sex
Sexual behavior
Sexual Reproduction
Sexuality
Social aspects
Social history
Social Movements
Sociology - history
Suffrage
Turn of the Century
Women
Women's Rights
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Birth control movements that emerged in Europe and the United States during the last third of the nineteenth century lost their emancipatory and feminist potential in the twentieth century as they succumbed to control by the medical profession, eugenicists, and institutionalized goals of planned parenthood. The neo-Malthusian movement in France, however, retained a radical character and became a focal point for the convergence of libertarian, feminist, and anarchist concerns. By emancipating women from their "biological destiny" and separating sexuality and reproduction, neo-Malthusian rhetoric reconfigured womanhood and established the basis for women's development as full individuals and citizens.
ISSN:0363-1990
1552-5473
DOI:10.1177/036319909602100305