“We Are Only Mothers and We Want to Feed Our Children”. The Politization of Immigrant Jewish Women during the U.S. Meat Boycotts (1902-1917)
Béja, Alice
“We Are Only Mothers and We Want to Feed Our Children”. The Politization of Immigrant Jewish Women during the U.S. Meat Boycotts (1902-1917) - 2025.
21
Between 1902 and 1917 in the United States, numerous riots, demonstrations and boycotts over food prices took place, particularly in the working-class districts of the major cities on the East Coast. These protests were mainly led by women, particularly Orthodox Jewish mothers, who demanded the right to feed their families. This article looks back at these movements to show that food and food-related issues make it possible to politicise populations (in this case, immigrant women) that have little or no access to political forums that are deemed legitimate (such as parties and trade unions). Following on from the work of historians such as Dana Frank, Paula Hyman and Lynn Taylor, this paper first analyses the specific modes of mobilisation to which these demonstrations gave rise; often interpreted as apolitical because they emanate from communities rather than from constituted political structures, they nevertheless bear witness to specific modes of organisation that cannot be reduced to mere spontaneous eruptions of anger. Secondly, this paper looks at the position of the women who took an active role in these events; presenting themselves as wives, mothers and providers of food for their households, they did not question traditional gender roles. Finally, the paper will study the symbolism of the foodstuffs associated with these rebellion movements; for the majority of these women, who hailed from poor backgrounds in Eastern Europe, red meat, eggs, butter and milk were inaccessible in their countries of origin. However, their arrival in the United States brought with it new eating habits, including regular meat-eating, and new expectations linked to an imagery of abundance that is associated with the myth of the American dream.
“We Are Only Mothers and We Want to Feed Our Children”. The Politization of Immigrant Jewish Women during the U.S. Meat Boycotts (1902-1917) - 2025.
21
Between 1902 and 1917 in the United States, numerous riots, demonstrations and boycotts over food prices took place, particularly in the working-class districts of the major cities on the East Coast. These protests were mainly led by women, particularly Orthodox Jewish mothers, who demanded the right to feed their families. This article looks back at these movements to show that food and food-related issues make it possible to politicise populations (in this case, immigrant women) that have little or no access to political forums that are deemed legitimate (such as parties and trade unions). Following on from the work of historians such as Dana Frank, Paula Hyman and Lynn Taylor, this paper first analyses the specific modes of mobilisation to which these demonstrations gave rise; often interpreted as apolitical because they emanate from communities rather than from constituted political structures, they nevertheless bear witness to specific modes of organisation that cannot be reduced to mere spontaneous eruptions of anger. Secondly, this paper looks at the position of the women who took an active role in these events; presenting themselves as wives, mothers and providers of food for their households, they did not question traditional gender roles. Finally, the paper will study the symbolism of the foodstuffs associated with these rebellion movements; for the majority of these women, who hailed from poor backgrounds in Eastern Europe, red meat, eggs, butter and milk were inaccessible in their countries of origin. However, their arrival in the United States brought with it new eating habits, including regular meat-eating, and new expectations linked to an imagery of abundance that is associated with the myth of the American dream.
Réseaux sociaux