Abstract

An exploration of how gendered considerations emerged from the simultaneous rise of the early mass media and consumer society, and the public politicisation of women. Argues that these trends resulted in a new phenomenon of 'cultural citizenship'. Examples are examined transnationally using Britain, France and India: these include female anti-colonial protest using newspapers for public communication, and an analysis of the relationship between Britain's suffragettes and what they called 'the public press'. The author argues that the influence of performance on direct action was critical and that in this respect, the Indian anti- colonial experience contributed to a re-definition of female citizenship.