College Women In The Nuclear Age: Cultural Literacy and Female Identity, 1940-1960

by Babette Faehmel

Overview

In the popular imagination, American women during the time between the end of World War II and the 1960s—the era of the so-called “feminine mystique”—were ultraconservative and passive. College Women in the Nuclear Age takes a fresh look at these women, showing them actively searching for their place in the world while engaging with the larger intellectual and political movements of the times.  Drawing from the letters and diaries of young women in the Cold War era, Babette Faehmel seeks to restore their unique voices and to chronicle their collective ambitions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813553191
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	09/08/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	250
File size:	916 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

BABETTE FAEHMEL is an assistant professor in the Liberal Arts Division at Schenectady County Community College, where she teaches U.S. and women’s history.

 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Campus Life in Times of Crisis: "Greasy Grinds," "Coeds," and the Limits of Diversity

2. "But Dad!": Campus Life and Critical Thinking

3. Not Part of the Crowd: Career-Oriented College Women Write about Their Goals, Identity, and Significant Others

4. Individualism and Sexuality: Why Not to Conform

5. College Women and the Clash of Mystiques

Conclusion

Student Diaries and Letters Consulted

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Faehmel challenges Betty Friedan's famous description of young women from liberal arts colleges as dupable consumers who made little use of their education. Faehmel's prose is lively, and her summation of an era that is often ignored in accounts of women's history makes this into a useful book for college classrooms. Undergraduates are particularly likely to connect with the diarists as they ruminate about identity, sexuality, and the life ahead of them. Recommended."

Choice

An insightful exploration of how college women in the 1940s and 1950s struggled to reconcile their intellectual and sexual drives with the gender constraints of that era. Beautifully researched.”

author of A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique - Stephanie Coontz

"An important contribution to the literature on the history of women's higher education."

Journal of American History

This original and fascinating study provides an intimate glimpse into the minds, emotions, hopes, and decisions of 1940s and 1950s college women. Faehmel skillfully shows how young women adhered to and challenged dominant gender norms . . . a lively read!

author of The Other Feminists: Activists in the Liberal Establishment - Susan Hartman

"An important contribution to the literature on the history of women's higher education."

From the Publisher