Women's Studies Archive

Women’s Studies Archive connects archival collections concerning women’s history from across the globe and from a wide range of sources. Focusing on the evolution of feminism throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the archive provides materials on women’s political activism, such as suffrage, birth control, pacifism, civil rights, and socialism, and on women’s voices, from female-authored literature to women’s periodicals.

Modules included:

• Issues and Identities

Traces the path of women’s issues from past to present by pulling primary sources from manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, and more. Captures the foundation of women’s movements, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Along with providing a closer look at some of the pioneers of women’s movements, this collection offers scholars a deep dive into the issues that have affected women and the many contributions they have made to society.

Issues and Identities spans multiple geographic regions, providing a variety of perspectives on women’s experiences and cultural impact. Within the archive can be found fascinating historical records from Europe, North and South America, Africa, India, East Asia, and the Pacific Rim with content in English, French, German, and Dutch.

• Voice and Vision

Builds on the platform started with Issues and Identities and brings yet more female voices to the forefront. Particular attention is paid to the mediums through which women have created a voice for themselves, with articles, journals and magazines that were authored, illustrated and published by women, not just for women. Covers multiple areas that are of key importance to the study of women’s history, from the abolition of slavery, alcohol and temperance movements, pacifism, and political activism, to domestic service, education, health and hygiene, divorce, and social reform.

Voice and Vision provides a diverse, global perspective on women’s history, including increased representation of minority groups. Coverage spans multiple geographic regions, providing a variety of perspectives on women’s experiences and impact on society across the world. In particular, Gale has sought primary sources concerning women from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including European, African-American, Indian, and Irish women, as well as religious minorities such as Jewish, Muslim and Quaker communities.

• Rare Titles from the American Antiquarian Society, 1820-1922

Module three brings together over one million pages of women-authored works from the American Antiquarian Society, the pre-eminent collector of pre-20th century Americana, covering over a century of female writing. This unique corpus of female-authored literature centers on the American female experience in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The database not only provides women’s perspective of history but is an essential resource for researchers wanting to undertake in-depth analysis into women’s authorship, enabling researchers to track the development of female language, literature, and ideas.

• Female Forerunners Worldwide

Concerns women trailblazers, both individuals and organizations , who have impacted society through social reform, popular culture, healthcare and more. This fourth installment of the Women’s Studies Archive focuses on advertising and advertising to minorities; birth control and sex education; the Civil Rights movement; healthcare and women in medicine (especially nursing); religion and women’s missionary work; migration; minority groups (especially African American and Jewish women; women in politics; prison reform (particularly female criminals and women’s philanthropic organizations to improve women’s prisons); psychic investigations and the paranormal; women’s rights and the fight for suffrage. This installment largely focuses on the US, Britain, and Australia but regional coverage also extends to New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Philippines, Jamaica, Germany, India, Norway, Canada and China.

 
Provider: Gale
Coverage: 19th – 20th centuries

 
Women’s Studies Archive can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gale’s digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.