ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers how the struggles of women workers have been remembered – at times as figures of pathos, at times as heroic figures. It analyses the cultural memories of women who are known for their actions. Women and men have different relationships with the nation-state. This has repercussions for how women activists are remembered, and whether or not they are integrated into public or collective memory. Mnemonic practices can be performed in diverse media. These can include official histories, print media, popular culture, and increasingly, the internet. The film’s approach to the memory of the British women’s suffrage campaign raised questions among academics and movie-goers alike about the ethics of selecting aspects of historical activism to portray in popular modes of cultural production.
