Carole Turbin – författare

Why have some working women succeeded at organizing in spite of obstacles to labor activity? Under what circumstances were they able to form alliances with male workers? 

Carole Turbin explores these and other questions by examining the case of Troy, New York. In the 1860s, Troy produced nearly all the nation''s detachable shirt collars and cuffs. The city''s collar laundresses were largely Irish immigrants. Their union was officially the nation''s first women''s labor organization, and one of the best organized. Turbin provides a new perspective on gender and shows that women''s family ties are not necessarily a conservative influence but may encourage women''s and men''s collective action.

Why have some working women succeeded at organizing in spite of obstacles to labor activity? Under what circumstances were they able to form alliances with male workers? Carole Turbin explores these and other questions by examining the case of Troy, New York. In the 1860s, Troy produced nearly all the nation's detachable shirt collars and cuffs. The city's collar laundresses were largely Irish immigrants. Their union was officially the nation's first women's labor organization, and one of the best organized. Turbin provides a new perspective on gender and shows that women's family ties are not necessarily a conservative influence but may encourage women's and men's collective action.

Material Strategies brings together scholars from different disciplines to explore what dress and textiles can tell us about gender history. Broad in scope – covers women, men, social groupings and nations from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.Rich in detail – incorporates illustrations that provide visual evidence for gendered strategies of dress.Combines perspectives from design and textile history, business history, cultural anthropology, social history, art history and cultural history.Considers 'material strategies' in relation to production and consumption, the public and the private, the body and sexuality, and national identity.Written in a jargon-free style, making it accessible to readers from a wide range of backgrounds.