Southern Discomfort: Women's Activism in Tampa, Florida, 1880s-1920s

Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History

by Nancy A. Hewitt

Vitally linked to the Caribbean and southern Europe as well as to the Confederacy, the Cigar City of Tampa, Florida, never fit comfortably into the biracial mold of the New South. In Southern Discomfort, the esteemed historian Nancy A. Hewitt explores the interactions among distinct groups of women -- native-born white, African-American, and Cuban and Italian immigrant women -- that shaped women's activism in this vibrant, multiethnic city.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, several historical currents converged in Tampa. The city served as a center for exiles organizing on behalf of the Cuban War of Independence and as the disembarkation point for U.S. troops heading to Cuba in 1898. It was the entrepot for thousands of Cuban and Italian immigrants seeking work in the booming cigar trade, and it attracted dozens of itinerant radicals eager to address locally based revolutionary clubs, mutual aid societies, and labor unions. Tampa was also home to an astonishing array of voluntary and reform organizations among black and white native-born women.

Emphasizing the process by which women of particular racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds forged and reformulated their activist identities, this masterful volume recasts our understanding of southern history by demonstrating how Tampa's tri-racial networks alternately challenged and reinscribed the South's biracial social and political order.

Genres: History

376 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2001

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get that many readers will not enjoy a traditional work of academic scholarship such as this, and many will not be excited about the social or feminist experience, but anyone truly interested in southern and women's history, as well as the experience of African Americans and immigrants (primarily Cuban, Spanish, and Italian here) will benefit greatly from reading this book. And it is nice to read something that is written well. [At this juncture I should reveal that Hewitt was one of my Masters professors, and she heavily influenced my ideas and interests in history, and I liked her very much. She even gave me a shout out in the intro as well as kindly cited an article I wrote, so you know I will be favorable to this book.] That said, it is an important addition to the history of Tampa and the South, and another brick in the wall of understanding political and social activism within the racial and social constraints of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, even the diverse, frontier development of this Florida town (so dear to my heart). Quite a bit of the story I already knew from reading many of the same books and articles, but I still managed to learn quite a lot about individuals and events. If you want to learn about Tampa, this is a good book to add to your permanent shelf, as I did.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book for class. While it is well-researched and well-written, I could care less about cigar rollers in turn-of-the-twentieth century Tampa Florida...

[Megan]

Not at all uninteresting or bad, just not in the mood and already have paid library fines trying to hang in. Will try again another time.