Prostitution, Protestantism and Prohibition: Josephine Butler and the Contagious Diseases Acts
Maloney, Elizabeth
This paper examines the activism of Josephine Butler in the nineteenth century, aimed at repealing the Contagious Diseases Act in England, and focuses on its place in an historical matrix of gender, power and political change. It examines rhetoric, campaign literature, and personal writings associated with Butler’s extensive public advocacy. It also looks to existing scholarship on Butler and more generally women in nineteenth century politics, while actively confronting and assessing the narrow perspectives traditionally offered in historical analyses of women’s contributions. Especially close focus is given to Butler’s articulation of gender in her work, and the question of whether it challenged or crystallized the prevalent social codes of gendered conduct that rooted many of the issues she advocated against. This analysis refocuses understandings of feminism, activism, transgressive politics, and modernity in the context of Butler’s life and legacy.
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