Gender in English Society 1650-1850

Themes in British Social History

by Robert Shoemaker

A lively social history of the roles of men and women - from workplace to household, from parish church to alehouse, from market square to marriage bed. Robert Shoemaker investigates such varied topics as crime, leisure, the theatre, religious observance, notions of morality and even changing patterns of sexual activity itself.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Gender

346 pages, Textbook Binding

First published March 6, 1998

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shoemaker characterizes the long 18th century as marked by increased separation of male and female roles. Since the book was published 1998, this argument was hardly novel; in fact, it followed a decade of increased questioning of the adequacy of this model following the 1989 translation of Habermas' The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry Into a Category of Bourgeois Society and its more nuanced examination of the public/private divide. Shoemaker alludes briefly to this historiographical debate in his short conclusion but does not proceed to any in-depth conceptual discussion, perhaps because he covers the more theoretical dimensions of this subject in another work coauthored with Mary Vincent. This collection includes material by Amanda Vickery (an established critic of the separate spheres model), John Tosh, and Leonore Davidoff, Gisela Bock, Joan W. Scott, and Lyndal Roper.

I would recommend this book primarily for undergraduate history majors. Chapters are arranged thematically: sexuality, family life, religion, politics, society and culture. It is clear and easy enough to follow, although as one may guess from the preceding paragraph, somewhat dated in its lack of theoretical engagement. It also fails to discuss the feminist movement and its role in shaping this field of study -- note that "gender," as was generally the case in this period, means "women".

[Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

really a 3.5* for moi i think

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So informative! I loved this!!!
(I read this through the months of January and February for my master’s dissertation)