It is not clear that interest in the WCTU has diminished; several recent
books have touched on aspects of the WCTU and these are outlined already by
others who have responded to this query. See especially  Catherine
Murdock's related work, which  focuses on the important topic of women and
drinking; also  J.  Zimmerman, Distilling Democracy, and the Carol
Mattingly book.  (I have a combined review of these books in the June issue
of the Journal of American history).

The WCTU is certainly not neglected in American historiography; Rather, it
has been one of the most heavily researched topics, either in direct
studies, or in other studies in which the WCTU has been an  important
component.

If there were a neglect, it might reflect the trendy themes which Austin
Kerr alludes to. But in all honesty, there is none.

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, no one has mentioned  my  Woman's
World/Women's Empire,  published  in 1991, a study that focuses  on the
WCTU's global work; there I combine analysis of gender, imperialism and the
development of temperance internationalism. And despite the almost
uniformly excellent reviews that book received, it does not normally get
considered by Americanists as a study in the US WCTU. This reflects the
usual blinkers in American historiography that the "national" stops at the
US borders and something on world history couldn't possibly be relevant to
US history though it is of American origin.  Luckily, many in ATHG are in
comparative fields, or in other areas of social science and range well
beyond the national boundaries, but within American historiography, the
resistance to wider conceptions of the "American" is still quite strong and
is reflected in the way the WCTU is treated. On the other hand, diplomatic
and foreign policy historians don't use my book much either, because it's
not diplomatic history conventionally considered.

I have done the short entry on the National WCTU for the forthcoming Oxford
Companion to American history, but what can you say in 500 words about
something so important?

For graduate student or others looking for interesting WCTU related topics
look at tobacco, and/or narcotics.  Each of these topics (they could be
done together) has transnational potential.


Ian Tyrrell