Susanna Rustin: A History of British Feminism

‘Contrary’ Mary Wollstonecraft – who attended the Newington Green Meeting House back in the C18th -  is the starting point for Guardian leader writer Susanna’s forthcoming book Sexed. Starting in the revolutionary 1790s and ending in the present day, she introduces the 1830s radicals who demanded ‘Liberty for ever!’, Victorian petitioners who expected to be dead before women won the vote, and rival camps of suffragists who embraced and rejected violence. She and historical novelist and chair of the Historical Writers’ Association Imogen Robertson discuss the chain of events that Wollstonecraft set in motion, the contributions of the first female MPs, as well as activists including the Greenham peace protesters and the black and Asian women’s groups of the 1970s and 1980s.

The Newington Green Meeting House/New Unity is proud to host Stoke Newington Lit Fest. As a venue, it does not endorse any of the specific views expressed by the organisations we host.

All speakers at this event have committed to making the event fully inclusive.