Podcast Summary: "The Anti-Suffragists with Sophia Rosenfeld"
This Guy Sucked – Host: Claire Aubin, Guest: Sophia Rosenfeld (Subscriber Preview, Dec 18, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode digs into the overlooked history of the anti-suffrage movement—organized opposition to women’s right to vote—in both the US and Britain. Historian Dr. Claire Aubin is joined by Dr. Sophia Rosenfeld, renowned scholar of intellectual and cultural history, to explore who the anti-suffragists were, their motivations, and how their arguments eerily echo in modern political discourse. The discussion weaves together lively anecdotes about archival research, the importance of intellectual curiosity, and nuanced insights on how reactionary ideas are constructed and promoted.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Historian’s Detective Work

• Both Aubin and Rosenfeld open with stories highlighting the thrill and serendipity of archival research.
  • Rosenfeld recounts discovering uncatalogued materials on the history of the deaf in a Parisian institution’s washroom, describing it as a "treasure hunt." (02:17–03:49)
    • "I sat in this washroom over a series of days and went through this material…there's a certain thrill still. It was a little like being on a treasure hunt." – Sophia Rosenfeld (03:20)
  • Aubin shares a humorous tale about landing a research grant that unexpectedly led to a fruitful archival discovery at CU Boulder. (03:49–04:47)

2. Cross-Pollination in Academic Work

• The conversation turns to how unexpected influences and broad reading contribute to better scholarship.
  • Rosenfeld compares historians to novelists, emphasizing the value of inspiration from diverse sources: "You can be inspired by people's prose, by their metaphors, by conversations that you have…All of that can find its way into the work you do, and it's probably the better for it." (07:39)
  • Aubin asserts: "You can really tell who is reading and who is engaging with the world broadly when they write." (08:18)

3. Introducing the Anti-Suffrage Movement

• Unlike the show's typical single "hater" focus, this episode scrutinizes a group: those who organized against women's suffrage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (08:48–09:25)
• Aubin remarks on how history tends to uplift rights activists, neglecting the organized, strategic resistance movements:
  • "[People assume] there's a general antipathy…rather than there is a concerted effort to prevent women from voting." – Claire Aubin (12:00)

4. Who Were the Anti-Suffragists?

• Rosenfeld explains that anti-suffrage activists included both men and women, many with well-articulated intellectual and moral frameworks against women's enfranchisement. These organizations peaked in effectiveness from the late 1800s through early 1900s.
  • "If you're going to have leagues for women's suffrage, it's not that surprising that people organized…into the National League opposing women's suffrage…They produced propaganda…everything from postcards to banners to op-eds to legislative efforts, as did their opponents." – Sophia Rosenfeld (12:30)

5. The Intellectual Side & Lasting Arguments

• Discussion highlights that opposition was not simple reactionism or ignorance, but often drew on deep-seated moral, ethical, and philosophical principles about gender, family, and nationhood.
  • "This is an intellectual opposition in a way that I think also gets left out of the narrative…they felt like they had a principled moral stance against the idea of women being enfranchised." – Claire Aubin (14:29)
• Rosenfeld points out that these arguments were often reframed as defense of tradition, virtue, or protection—rhetorical strategies recognizable in later rights debates.

6. A Brief History of Anti-Suffrage

• Rosenfeld provides context: the extension of voting rights was historically debated, raising fraught questions about who counted as ‘the people’ in new democracies.
  • The question of women’s suffrage gained real momentum mid-19th century, alongside wider suffrage reforms and democratization.
  • Early arguments combined philosophical, religious, and social justifications—sometimes even allowing a narrow role for upper-class or educated women, per John Stuart Mill, but generally warning of dire consequences if gendered boundaries were crossed.
    • "The real point is to argue against women voting not just because…they're opposed, but because they think a whole principle is at stake if you let women vote." – Sophia Rosenfeld (19:08)

7. Modern Resonances and Reflections

• While the episode preview cuts off before an in-depth examination of modern parallels, both speakers tease that the rhetorical playbook of anti-suffragists resurfaces in contemporary politics—framing rights expansions as existential threats and cloaking exclusionary impulses in the language of tradition, virtue, or national crisis.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sophia Rosenfeld: "Historians do like their dust in their boxes." (03:29)
• Claire Aubin: "The best writer is a reader." (08:40)
• Sophia Rosenfeld: "We don't hear about [organized opposition] as much, but there's organized opposition to everything from gay marriage to civil rights struggles to women's suffrage…" (12:24)
• Sophia Rosenfeld: "Their arguments often come back around…it's surprising how much their arguments still resonate." (13:25)
• Claire Aubin: "They come in the trappings of something else…can be wrapped in claims of virtue and protection and tradition." (15:17)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–02:01: Introductions and background on Sophia Rosenfeld
• 02:01–05:41: Anecdotes about the thrill and chance of archival research
• 06:07–08:47: Importance of cross-disciplinary scholarship and broad reading
• 08:48–09:25: Introduction to the anti-suffrage movement as this episode's focus
• 10:11–11:16: Who the anti-suffragists were and how they organized
• 12:22–13:42: Recognizing the role of organized opposition throughout civil rights history
• 13:42–15:50: The intellectual, moral, and rhetorical strategies of anti-suffrage activism
• 15:50–19:23: Historical overview of suffrage expansions and anti-suffrage arguments

Summary

This preview episode of This Guy Sucked offers both an entertaining and insightful look at those who organized—often passionately and intellectually—against women’s suffrage. Dr. Sophia Rosenfeld’s expertise helps unravel not just their tactics and worldview, but why understanding organized opposition matters for a more nuanced reading of history and its continuing echoes.

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