It is impossible to acknowledge all the people who have influenced my
ideas or whose good company was especially beneficial when I hit an
impasse in my work. But I trust that through face-to-face conversa-
tions or through letters, phone calls, and e-mail those people whose
names do not appear here nevertheless understand the depth of my
gratitude.

For their indispensable feedback dating back to drafts of disserta-
tion proposals, Jeffrey B. Abramson, Jennifer L. Hochschild, and R.
Shep Melnick deserve my deepest appreciation. They were sharp
when I was muddled and kind when kindness mattered more than
intellectual acumen. A measure of their grace as mentors is the room
they have since created in our relationships for intellectual parity and
friendship. In addition, I am grateful to Michael W. McCann, for
although I fell short of his own high scholarly standards, his meticu-
lous and insightful reader's reports enabled me to formulate my
arguments with greater precision, persuasiveness, or punch. Bob Pep-
perman Taylor gave generously of his time and talent on an earlier
version of the manuscript so that I might one day see it in print.
Daniel A. Cohen helped me frame the book and keep the narrative
and analytic lines in focus. His companionship has become equally val-
uable.

Other scholars and friends assisted on a variety of tasks. Even
though I was a complete stranger, Rogers Smith gave me extensive
comments on what subsequently became Chapters 5-7. Sidney Mil-
kis's knowledge of American political development was especially
illuminating as I reflected on the material for Chapters 4 and 8. And
although I have not done justice to their complex and subtle ideas,
Nancy J. Hirschmann and Elizabeth Wingrove each enriched my
understanding of feminist theory, in addition to providing much-
needed solace. Arthur (Rusty) Simonds and Kathe McCaffrey regu-
larly welcomed me into their home and somehow managed to whip up
veritable feasts while simultaneously tending to my intellectual or
computer glitches. Marilyn Stelting helped prepare the manuscript for
submission and became a good friend in the process.

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