Doing Something Silly”
The Uses of Humour by the Women's Social and Political Union, 1903–1914
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9967733 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Krista Cowman (0000-0002-1318-9450, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | S15 |
| Pages | 259-274 |
| Publication date | 2007-11-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Social History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8590 • E-ISSN: 1469-512X |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0020859007003239 |
| OpenAlex | W2130876866 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 1 |
Investigations into uses of humour associated with the militant suffrage campaign of the Women's Social and Political Union have been largely concerned with the satirizing of suffragettes. The uses that suffragettes themselves made of humour as a considered political tactic have been less considered. This paper explores three ways in which suffragettes turned humour to their advantage during their campaign: by deliberately adopting “silly” behaviours as a counterpoint to over-formal and male dominated Edwardian politics; by quick-witted retorts to hecklers who sought to disrupt suffragette meetings and finally as a means of venting private political dissent and alleviating some of the stresses of hectic political campaigning. The exploration of humour within the WSPU's work reveals some of the links between humour and social protest in the early twentieth century, and considers the extent to which its use in public political behaviour might be gendered
Dissent · Dissenting opinion · Militant · Nonconformist · Political dissent · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Suffrage · Gender Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Law · Race, History, and American Society · Theater, Performance, and Music History
Suffragettes and the Scottish Press during the First World War
The Politics of Women's Suffrage
Backstage Mockery
‘Woman Suffrage Precipice’
‘Laugh a defiance, Laugh in hope’
‘I roll my cigarette, and cycle to my club’
Contesting Women’s Right to Vote
A Matter of Public Interest
Press response to women politicians
What a Pretty Man – or Girl!’
Stereotypes as political resistance
A fine spirit of comradeship’
| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,2 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |