Women pioneers in Canadian sociology: The effects of a politics of gender and a politics of knowledge

This article examines the life histories of ten anglophone Canadian pioneer women sociologists: Helen Abell, Grace Anderson, Jean Burnet, Eleanor Cebo tarev, Kathleen Herman, Helen McGill Hughes, Thelma McCormack, Helen Ralsto n, Aileen Ross and Dorothy Smith. All were born before 1930, encountered si gnificant sexism, and found jobs very easily. This pattern is placed into t he context of a politics of gender and a politics of knowledge. Politics of gender in the institutional context and in family roles resulted in disadv antages, while the effect of the women's movement led to solidarity among w omen sociologists and eventual improvements in their situation. The simulta neous emergence of the women's movement and the Canadianization movement le d to a politics of knowledge which proved advantageous for both. Neverthele ss, the sociological canon so far has not included women pioneers - the aut hor needed to conduct interviews since almost no published information exis ted about most of these important sociologists prior to this paper.