For too long, American women have been hidden in the history of the Cold War. This title recovers their significance by examining the activities and ambitions of American women's organisations in the long period of uneasy peace. It is suitable for those in the field of gender and women's history, cultural studies, and American history.
This monograph asserts that the troubled history of segregation within American women’s associations created a legacy of racial exclusivity and privilege. While acknowledging the progressive potential of women’s associations and the extent to which they created a legitimate outlet for American women’s public activism, it explores how and why such organizations failed to aid in issues of integration. Rather than being a historical accident, or a pragmatic response to circumstance, this monograph demonstrates that white exclusivity and privilege was crucial to the authority and influence of these associations. Organized White Women and the Challenge of Race Relations examines the translation of what seemed on the surface to be relatively simple demands for racial integration into a far more significant and all-encompassing confrontation with the frequently hidden structures and practices of white privilege.