[sageofages]

Originally posted by exlurker
Consequently, there's not a substantive discussion of the birth, growth and development of the sororities that became national in the period of -- roughly -- 1895 to 1910. This means that the challenges, college and societal environment, and organizational response of the "new kids on the block" -- especially "southern" groups and the "education" sororities -- aren't touched on. The world of higher education that Phi Mu, KD, Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Zeta, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma (and so on) entered was distinctly different from the world of the 1870s and early 1880s, and perhaps another scholar will be able to write about the times and issues affecting that newer set of women's groups.

The use of Theta as a "case study" also means that there may be a slight "view from the top" slant, probably unconscious. Numerous general references to "Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi", with "Alpha Phi" or "Gamma Phi Beta" occasionally thrown into that phraseology, tend to reinforce a somwhat limited perspective, especially for the period after 1895 or 1900. While Theta, Kappa and Pi Phi, simply because of their age and expansion history, were "typical" in the 1870s and early 1880s, they were not necessarily "typical" by 1910, 1915 or 1920.

It is wonderful to hear of this. Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu were innovators in the early years and expanded quite a bit by the time these other groups had formed.

An interesting perspective would be to examine how the "Macon Magnolias" formed and developed visa vis those groups who received assistance from male mentors familiar with the fraternity world.

Anything serious and scholarly is a welcomed respite to the sensationalism that has reared its ugly head in the last decade or so.