Biographical Context

Political Ideas – Charlotte Perkins Gilman

In this course, Dr Rachel Nolan (Manchester Metropolitan University) considers the life and works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the first module, we offer some biographical context for the following discussion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, as well as an outline of her key works and ideas. Then, in the second module, we explore the concept of socialism as it relates to Gilman’s thought, as well as thinking about her nationalist views. In the third module, we add depth to the discussion by considering Gilman not only as a feminist, but as a specifically socialist feminist. In the fourth module, we consider the role of Darwinism in American political and sociological thought during Gilman’s lifetime, and highlight Gilman’s “reform Darwinist” understanding of patriarchy as an evolutionary phase and her arguments for an expansion in the rights of women on this basis. In the fifth module, we consider how a range of feminists (including Simone de Beauvoir and bell hooks) have built upon, responded to, and critiqued Gilman’s thought. Finally, in the sixth module, we conclude by recapping Gilman’s key arguments for gender equality, and reflecting on the extent to which these arguments remain relevant today. This course is particularly relevant to the Non-Core Political Ideas: Feminism section of the AQA and Edexcel A Level Politics specifications.

Biographical Context

In this module we offer some biographical context for the following discussion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, focusing in particular on: (i) Gilman’s key works, especially The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) and Women and Economics (1898); (ii) some historical context for Gilman’s life and works, focusing especially on industrialisation and class inequality in the US during Gilman’s lifetime; (iii) the relative status of men and women during Gilman’s lifetime; (iv) Gilman’s family, upbringing, and later marriages.