Women's Periodicals and Print Culture in Britain, 1940s-2000s

Abstract

Foregrounds the diversity of periodicals, fiction and other printed matter targeted at women in the postwar period Examines changes and continuities as women’s magazines have moved into digital formats Highlights the important cultural and political contexts of women’s periodicals including the Women’s Liberation Movement and Socialism Explores the significance of women as publishers, printers and editors Women's Periodicals and Print Culture in Britain, 1940s-2000s draws attention to the wide range of postwar print cultures for women. The collection spans domestic, cultural and feminist magazines and extends to ephemera, novels and other printed matter as well as digital magazine formats. The essays examine both mainstream and independent publishing for women. They consider the history of publishing for women, the social contexts, and the ways in which the publications were used and understood by their readers over this long postwar period. The collection reflects in detail the important ways in which magazines and printed matter contributed to, challenged, or informed British women’s culture. A range of approaches, including interview, textual analysis and industry commentary are employed in order to demonstrate the variety of ways in which the impact of postwar print media may be understood.