Danielle van Dalen

Research Topic

Temperance women and the Franchise: The New Zealand Women's Temperance Union and the British Women's Temperance Association, 1876-1914

Supervisor: Senia Paseta 

My research project compares the diverse attitudes and contributions to the women's suffrage movement of two intimately connected women's organisations: the New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union (NZWCTU) and the British Women's Temperance Association (BWTA). In doing so, I aim to examine the pathways to political activism for a group of late Victorian and Edwardian women, as well as how their efforts were shaped by a desire for moral reform and their position in the British Empire. 

Prior to beginning the DPhil I completed a Master of Arts in History at the University of Auckland where I focused on the women of the Victoria League in New Zealand and the construction of an imperial identity. I also hold a Master of Political Science from Leiden University, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Victoria University of Wellington, and have worked for several years as a public policy researcher in New Zealand.