front cover of FROM OUTRAGE TO ACTION
FROM OUTRAGE TO ACTION
The Politics of Grass-Roots Dissent
Laura R. Woliver
University of Illinois Press, 1993
 In one case a local judge declared a five-year-old sexual assault victim a "particularly promiscuous young lady." In another, an innocent black man died in police custody. In these cases and two others, outraged citizens banded together to protest and seek redress for the injustices.
    
Through in-depth interviews with activists, Laura Woliver examines these community actions, studying the groups involved and linking her conclusions to larger questions of political power and the impact of social movements. Her findings will make fascinating reading for those interested in the rise and fall of grass-roots interest groups, the nature of dissent, and
 the reasons why people volunteer countless hours, sometimes in the face
        of community opposition and isolation, to dedicate themselves to a cause.
      The ad hoc interest groups studied are the Committee to Recall Judge
        Archie Simonson (Madison), the Coalition for Justice for Ernest Lacy (Milwaukee),
        Concerned Citizens for Children (Grant County, Wisconsin), and Citizens
        Taking Action (Madison). Woliver relates the community responses in these
        cases to those in the Jeffrey Dahmer mass murder case and the beating
        by Los Angeles police of Rodney King.
      "A pioneering investigation of local, ad hoc interest groups that
        are launched by a blatant injustice. . . . Explores the impressive defensive
        capabilities against change of established social groups and portrays
        the complex consequences of 'sputtering interests' for attitudes (such
        as consciousness raising), for action, and for future policy. An important
        and innovative contribution."
        -- Mary Edelman, author of The Symbolic Uses of Politics
      "A truly humanistic piece of social science research, offering fascinating
        insights on grassroots participants, their feelings, and their fates."
        -- Janet K. Boles, author of American Feminism: New Issues for
        a Mature Movement
 
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front cover of The Political Geographies of Pregnancy
The Political Geographies of Pregnancy
Laura R. Woliver
University of Illinois Press, 2002

A searing study of how modern reproductive politics shapes women's bodily agency

Pregnancy indisputably takes place within a woman's body. But as reproductive power finds its way into the hands of medical professionals, lobbyists, and policymakers, the geographies of pregnancy are shifting, and the boundaries need to be redrawn, argues Laura R. Woliver. The Political Geographies of Pregnancy is a vigorous analysis of the ways modern reproductive politics are shaped by long-standing debates on abortion and adoption, surrogacy arrangements, new reproductive technologies, medical surveillance, and the mapping of the human genome.

Across a politically charged backdrop of reproductive issues, Woliver exposes strategies that claim to uphold the best interests of children, families, and women but in reality complicate women's struggles to have control over their own bodies. Utilizing feminist standpoint theory and promoting a feminist ethic of care, Woliver looks at abortion politics, modern adoption laws that cater to male-headed families, regulations that allow the state to monitor pregnant women but not always provide care for them, and the power structures behind the seemingly benign world of egg-selling and surrogate parenting. She also considers the potentially staggering political implications of mapping the human genome, and the exclusion of women's perspectives in discussions about legislation and advancements in reproductive technologies.

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front cover of Push Back, Move Forward
Push Back, Move Forward
The National Council of Women's Organizations and Coalition Advocacy
Laura R. Woliver
Temple University Press, 2018

The coalition known as the National Council of Women’s Organizations no longer exists today, but the history and the lessons learned from the NCWO’s activism remain as important as ever—perhaps even more so in this age of Trump. Laura Woliver spent fifteen years doing fieldwork and conducting research and interviews to understand how the NCWO coalition group functioned. The result is her impressive study, Push Back, Move Forward.

Woliver explores the foundational work of the NCWO and member groups to promote women’s economic security, citizen status, and political rights. She investigates women’s access to previously “male only” organizations, such as private clubs; the increase in voter participation generated by measures such as early voting; advocacy campaigns for such benefit programs as Social Security and the Affordable Care Act; and global human and women’s rights activism. In addition, she examines the accomplishments of women of color, both alongside and within the NCWO, who orient their politics toward achieving justice and attaining rights.  

Push Back, Move Forward artfully documents this important group’s activities while also gleaning larger lessons about coalition organizations.

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