Although the British Women's Institute is rarely associated with radical activity, this book explores its relationship with feminism, from its formation in 1915 to the eve of the second wave of British feminism in the 1960s.

Although the British Women's Institute is rarely associated with radical activity, this book explores its relationship with feminism, from its formation in 1915 to the eve of the second wave of British feminism in the 1960s. Attention is given to the female cultural space and value system provided by the WI, and the campaigns that articulated the needs of rural women and attempted to meet them. By interpreting feminism in this broad sense, the book aims to challenge not only common sense perceptions about the Women's Institute, but also those about feminism. This social history should appeal to all those interested in cultural studies, women's studies and 20th-century history.

Whose feminism?
the early years
identity problems - a history of the histories
politics and patchwork
campaigns
war years
Denman College
feminism and flower arranging.