The "Texas Women : A Celebration of History" exhibit : second-wave feminism, historical memory, and the birth of a "Texas women's history industry"

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dc.contributor.advisorRitter, Gretchenen
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGreen, Laurieen
dc.creatorAbbott, Gretchen Voteren
dc.date.accessioned2011-02-16T21:59:03Zen
dc.date.accessioned2011-02-16T21:59:11Zen
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-11T22:21:23Z
dc.date.available2011-02-16T21:59:03Zen
dc.date.available2011-02-16T21:59:11Zen
dc.date.available2017-05-11T22:21:23Z
dc.date.issued2010-12en
dc.date.submittedDecember 2010en
dc.date.updated2011-02-16T21:59:11Zen
dc.descriptiontexten
dc.description.abstractTouring the state in the early 1980s, the “Texas Women: A Celebration of History” exhibit was the first attempt to create a comprehensive, public Texas women’s history narrative. Surprisingly, the exhibit was organized not by academics or museum professionals, but rather by the Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources—a nascent second-wave feminist non-profit organization composed of up-and-coming political activists such as Ann Richards, Sarah Weddington, Jane Hickie, and Martha Smiley. Through an analysis of the exhibit, as well as archival research and oral histories with many of the participants, this thesis explores the reasons that a feminist organization with finite resources would choose to focus on the production of women’s history as a tool of feminist activism. The “Texas Women” exhibit was a uniquely effective way for the members of the Texas Foundation for Women’s Resources to express their feminist values in a culturally palatable way and to create embodied moments of feminist consciousness for their audience. Furthermore, it paved the way for the organization’s future successful feminist projects, fed the production of Texas women’s history initiatives around the state, and served as a springboard that helped launch Ann Richards’ successful political career.en
dc.description.departmentWomen's and Gender Studiesen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2010-12-2050en
dc.language.isoengen
dc.subjectSecond-wave feminismen
dc.subjectFeminist activismen
dc.subjectTexasen
dc.subjectHistorical memoryen
dc.subjectTexas womenen
dc.subjectAnn Richardsen
dc.subjectTexas Foundation for Women's Resourcesen
dc.subjectMuseumsen
dc.subjectWomen's historyen
dc.subjectTexas women's historyen
dc.titleThe "Texas Women : A Celebration of History" exhibit : second-wave feminism, historical memory, and the birth of a "Texas women's history industry"en
dc.type.genrethesisen

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