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OverviewThe Women's Social and Political Union, the militant branch of the English women's suffrage movement, turned to arson, bombing, and widespread property destruction as a strategy to achieve suffrage for women. Because of its comparative rarity, terrorist violence by reform (as opposed to revolutionary) movements is underexplored, as is the discursive rhetoric that accompanies this violence. Largely because of the moral stance that drives such movements, the need to justify violence is greater for the reformist than for the revolutionary terrorist. The burden of rhetorical justification falls even more heavily on women utilizing violence, an option generally perceived as open only to men. The militant suffragettes justifed their turn to limited terrorism by arguing that their violence was part of a “just war”. Appropriating the rhetoric of a just war in defense of reformist violence allowed the suffragettes to exercise a traditional rhetorical vision for the sake of radical action. The concept of a just war allowed a spinning out of a fantasy of heroes, of a gallant band fighting against the odds. It challenged the imagination of the public to extend to women a heroic vision usually reserved for men and to accept the new expectations inherent in that vision. By incorporating the concept of a just war into their rhetoric, the WSPU leaders took the most conventional justification that Western tradition provides for the use of violence and adapted it to meet their unique circumstance as women using violence for political reform. This study challenges the common view that the suffragettes' use of military metaphors, their vilification of the government, and their violent attacks on property were signs of hysteria and self-destruction. Instead, what emerges is a picture of a deliberate, if controversial, strategy of violence supported by a rhetorical defense of unusual power and consistency. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Cheryl Jorgensen-EarpPublisher: The University of Alabama Press Imprint: The University of Alabama Press Edition: First Edition, 1st ed. Dimensions: Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 23.50cm Weight: 0.337kg ISBN: 9780817358211ISBN 10: 0817358218 Pages: 208 Publication Date: 30 March 2015 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In stock We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately. Table of ContentsReviewsAn interesting and challenging work. . . . Clearly organized and well-argued. --Martha Solomon Watson, Maryland at College Park Author InformationCheryl R. Jorgensen-Earp is Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies Department at Lynchburg College, USA. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |