Department or Program

History

Abstract

This work examines the evolution of the Appalachian Mountain Club Hut System as a masculine space despite the historical presence of female explorers in the region. It seeks to return agency to the hands of the women who pushed for inclusive policy, and demonstrated the interconnectedness of contemporary national social movements and the ordinary women who reformed this closed system. The AMC operates a string of ridge-top hostelries in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Until 1973, the Huts were staffed solely by men, excluding brief wartime intervals during which the Club employed married couples. Women made significant inroads to the AMC through environmental education positions, as the Club and the public considered teaching a non-threatening, feminine profession. The 1970s ushered in an increasingly radical feminist atmosphere in America, and AMC women demanded equal hiring practices in the Hut System by coopting the language of the national movement and creating a unique local brand of resistance. The modern Huts function as a feminist model, wherein there is complete equality between the sexes, despite lingering pushback from outsiders. Women operating outside the confines of elite academia enabled and mobilized breakdowns in systemic oppression of the AMC, mirroring the work of women in the national, public arena.

Level of Access

Restricted: Embargoed [Bates Community After Expiration]

First Advisor

Eason, Paul

Date of Graduation

5-2015

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

123

Components of Thesis

1 pdf file

Embargoed

Available to Bates Community via local IP address or Bates login on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

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