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Book Cover
E-book
Author Rouse, Wendy L., author

Title Her own hero : the origins of the women's self-defense movement / Wendy L. Rouse
Published New York : New York University Press, [2017]
©2017

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Description 1 online resource
Series Book collections on Project MUSE
Contents The womanly art of boxing -- Jiu-jitsu, gender, and the yellow peril -- Self-defense and claiming public space -- Self-defense in the era of suffrage and the new woman -- Self-defense in the domestic sphere
Summary "The surprising roots of the self-defense movement and the history of women's empowerment. At the turn of the twentieth century, women famously organized to demand greater social and political freedoms like gaining the right to vote. However, few realize that the Progressive Era also witnessed the birth of the women's self-defense movement. It is nearly impossible in today's day and age to imagine a world without the concept of women's self defense. Some women were inspired to take up boxing and jiu-jitsu for very personal reasons that ranged from protecting themselves from attacks by strangers on the street to rejecting gendered notions about feminine weakness and empowering themselves as their own protectors. Women's training in self defense was both a reflection of and a response to the broader cultural issues of the time, including the women's rights movement and the campaign for the vote. Perhaps more importantly, the discussion surrounding women's self-defense revealed powerful myths about the source of violence against women and opened up conversations about the less visible violence that many women faced in their own homes. Through self-defense training, women debunked patriarchal myths about inherent feminine weakness, creating a new image of women as powerful and self-reliant. Whether or not women consciously pursued self-defense for these reasons, their actions embodied feminist politics. Although their individual motivations may have varied, their collective action echoed through the twentieth century, demanding emancipation from the constrictions that prevented women from exercising their full rights as citizens and human beings. This book is a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to one of the most important women's issues of all time. This book will provoke good debate and offer distinct responses and solutions"--Publisher description
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed June 9, 2017)
Subject Self-defense for women -- United States -- History
Self-defense -- Social aspects -- United States -- History
Women -- United States -- Social conditions
Women -- Political activity -- United States -- History
Women's rights -- United States -- History
Feminism -- United States -- History
Social movements -- United States -- History
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Healthy Living.
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Holism.
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Reference.
MEDICAL -- Preventive Medicine.
Feminism
Self-defense for women
Social movements
Women -- Political activity
Women -- Social conditions
Women's rights
United States
Genre/Form History
History.
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2017003624
ISBN 9781479872763
1479872768