Women in the Public Sphere,
Émilie, Isabelle, Malcolm
Émilie, Isabelle, Malcolm
In the early 20th Century, Ottawa's women began to take up more and more space in the public sphere - especially in the realms of education, religion and politics. Organised often in women's clubs, the women of Ottawa began to have their voices heard during this pivotal time in history.
National Council of Women at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, October 1898.
(William James Topley. Library and Archives Canada, PA-028033)
The politicization of women in North America created a need for feminist organization such as the different women’s clubs (Landes, p.20). These could be the Canadian Women’s Historical Association, women’s collaboration with Red Cross throughout the war effort, Women’s clubs at universities such as the University of Ottawa, or even religious organizations such as the Kiwanis club. Joan B. Landes in “WOMEN AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE: A Modern Perspective,” does mention that women in the public sphere did begin with elite women in the 18th century (p.21). With the rise of urbanicity came a need to share opinions and people began meeting up regularly and sharing their opinions (Landes, p.22) This was practiced by these women’s clubs and, but they also commemorated these meetings and actions with archival practices through the creation of scrapbooks. For this project, we will look into 4 scrapbooks from 1918 to 1941.