Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism

Heterodoxy was a feminist club which met at the beginning of the 20th century in Greenwich Village. Although the contents of the meetings are largely unknown, many of Heterodoxy’s members played significant roles in social movements at the time. Scutts (The Extra Woman) describes significant social issues and the roles that Heterodoxy’s members played in their advocacy. Subjects such as women’s suffrage, worker’s rights, motherhood, marriage, sex, and the anti-war movement are addressed. Scutts also profiles activists such as Inez Milholland, Rose Pastor Stokes, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Marie Jenney Howe. Although many women embodied traditional political organizer roles, others engaged with their chosen issue through art, and Scutts looks at the impact of activist art. The majority of Heterodoxy’s members were well-off, educated white women, and Scutts also highlights the effect of race, sexual orientation and class on feminist circles. Finally, Scutts assesses the changing nature of feminism and activism following the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.