Big Sister: Feminism, Conservatism, and Conspiracy in the Heartland

by Erin M. Kempker

The mid-seventies represented a watershed era for feminism. A historic National Women's Conference convened in Houston in 1977. The Equal Rights Amendment inched toward passage. Conservative women in the Midwest, however, saw an event like the International Year of the Woman not as a celebration but as part of a conspiracy that would lead to radicalism and one-world government.

Erin M. Kempker delves into how conspiracy theories affected--and undermined--second-wave feminism in the Midwest. Focusing on Indiana, Kempker views this phenomenon within the larger history of right-wing fears of subversion during the Cold War. Feminists and conservative women each believed they spoke in women's best interests. Though baffled by the conservative dread of "collectivism," feminists compromised by trimming radicals from their ranks. Conservative women, meanwhile, proved adept at applying old fears to new targets. Kempker's analysis places the women's opposing viewpoints side by side to unlock the differences that separated the groups, explain one to the other, and reveal feminism's fate in the Midwest.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, American History, Politics, Gender

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Max]

tightly focused on conflicts between reform-oriented hetero feminism in Indiana and conservative women there and unfortunately I am kind of a bad sport about summoning my focus for feminist organizing that pretty much totally excluded lesbians.. they clearly got a lot done and I wish them the best.. it just doesn’t interest me very much. If you’re someone who enjoys content about conspiracies that angle is a little underwhelming too, she very thoroughly explains how a lot of the right associated feminism with what we’d call a new world order (one world government) conspiracy now. Doesn’t really get much into the anti semitism there much which is a weird oversight. Basically I think the title got me unreasonably excited. if I had expected nothing this would have been fine

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable to see another chapter so clearly outlined in the long and storied history of women who have rocks for brains.

Really a 3.5- all my homies hate the Goodreads rating system. I found this to be an interesting and illustrative read- not much about the contents surprised me, but I appreciated the depth of research and focus on Midwestern women’s movements. Many passages will be painfully familiar to anyone who has spent any time at all around conservative Midwestern women who, as I mentioned above, do have rocks in their brains. This is a book that is frustratingly timely, although the epilogue, being so clearly written in the late twenty-teens, gave me a chuckle. Would love to know the author’s take on more current events. That we have actually fixed nothing since the ‘70s and have in fact made things worse was constantly on my mind while reading this book. Which is fine and cool.

This is a good introduction to conservatism and conspiracy, and while I would have liked to have it be even longer and less repetitive overall, I will accept it as the nature of academic writing more often than not. Cannot overstate how much I loved the research and how excited I am about the bibliography. I just wish the world were halfway as cool as conservative conspiracists think it is.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am more than a little biased towards this book because I know the author, but it really is brilliant. Tightly argued, well researched, and well written. It is an important aspect of women’s history in the last fifty years. It does a lot to balance the narrative of women’s history from a lop-sided view that all women became feminist in the 1970s.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting book going over important developments in some of the political history of conservative women in the american midwest. i’m doing a research project on antifeminism (specifically online), so this very indirectly relates to my work!