The Paradox of Paternalism

“An exciting study that reveals the complexity of women’s multiple political projects, as well as the importance of feminism—widely defined—as a powerful political force.”—Jadwiga E. Pieper Mooney, author of The Politics of Motherhood

“An engaging overview of the role played by women in supporting and contesting authoritarian regimes in the twentieth-century Dominican Republic.”—Nicola Foote, coeditor of Immigration and National Identities in Latin America

“Tells the very important story of women’s participation in Dominican politics from 1928 to 1978. It will quickly become a classic in the field of Latin American women’s history.”—Victoria González-Rivera, author of Before the Revolution

“This worthy addition to gender relations literature allows Manley to elaborate on her premise of the utility of female participatory experiences in authoritarian regimes as a vehicle for feminist progress. . . . Highly recommended.”—Choice

“Fills in the yawning lacunae concerning women’s roles during the reigns of the two infamous Dominican caudillos of the twentieth century. . . . Deserves an audience beyond specialists in the Dominican Republic, to reach anyone interested in women and dictatorship.”—American Historical Review

“An in-depth and balanced view of Dominican feminism.”—The Americas

“Unique both in its chronological scope and in its attention to women across the political spectrum.”—Social History

“Amply demonstrates the extent, limits, and iterations of maternalism, including Trujillista women’s promotion of state welfare for poor women and children, opposition women’s defense of their homes, families ripped apart by regime violence, and female governors’ community welfare activism under Balaguer.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

“Successfully challenges the patriarchal paradigm that is Latin Caribbean history by effectively demonstrating how Dominican women actively participated in the politics of this era.”—Gender & History

“Makes a significant contribution to the understanding of women’s political participation in the Dominican Republic during a long stretch of the twentieth century, focusing on women of both the right and the left, both progovernment and antigovernment. The analysis is solid and methodical; the reading is engaging.”—New West Indian Guide