Overview
How has feminist scholarship changed history? At the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is clear that scholars no longer imagine that it is possible to write history, whether of the political, military, social, economic or intellectual varieties, without taking gender into account. Writing Gender History explores the evolution of historical writing about women and gender from the 1930s until the early twenty-first century. The discussion moves from women's history to gender history, and then to poststructuralist challenges to women's and gender history. Designed to be accessible to students, discussion focuses neither on abstract theory nor on historiography per se, but rather upon the practical application of theory in historical scholarship on women and gender.Synopsis
How has feminist scholarship changed history? Writing Gender History explores the evolution of historical writing about women and gender from the 1930s until the early twenty-first century. With chapters on the history of Europe, the USA, colonial India and Africa, the discussion moves from women's history to gender history, and then to poststructuralist challenges to that history. This revised edition includes an exciting new chapter looking at recent scholarship on race, gender and sexuality in colonial and transnational history, and on the history of the body. Highly accessibly but also encouraging new debate, this book provides students with a comprehensive understanding of gender history, as well as its possible future.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"Puts the entire range of women's and gender history into context, showing how it challenges the conventional pieties, opens up new veins of research, and transforms our understanding of every aspect of history. Her command of the literature is simply astounding and her work is sure to be seen as a landmark in the development of the field of history in the broadest sense."—Lynn Hunt, UCLA (first edition)
"Ingenuity and perspicuity shine through Laura Lee Downs superb distillation and analysis of women's and gender history. To understand accomplishments and changes in the field, put this book at the top of your list."—Nancy Cott, Harvard University (first edition)