South African Women and the Politics of Peace in the 1950s

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article uses a feminist intellectual history methodology to analyse debates around ‘peace’ within the Federation of South African Women in the 1950s. While many scholars have produced insightful analyses of the Federation’s work, this article is the first to examine specific debates around the idea of peace within the organisation. Through a close reading of these discussions as they played out in Federation meetings, this article argues that Federation leadership was eager to link with global left-wing peace politics in the 1950s. The membership, however, was more sceptical of the connection: while drawing inspiration from global women’s struggles, many members suggested that peaceful methods were no longer meaningful in their own political context. This study yields new insights into grassroots women’s analyses of apartheid and the strategies they advocated. It argues that intellectual historical approaches offer an important supplement to social historical analyses of women’s politics.