Description
Book SynopsisThe eighteenth century looms large in the Scottish imagination. It is a century that saw the doubling of the population, rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, the political Union of 1707, the Jacobite Rebellions and the Enlightenment - events that were intrinsic to the creation of the modern nation and to putting Scotland on the international map. The impact of the era on modern Scotland can be seen in the numerous buildings named after the luminaries of the period - Adam Smith, David Hume, William Robertson - the endorsement of Robert Burns as the national poet/hero, the preservation of the Culloden battlefield as a tourist attraction, and the physical geographies of its major towns. Yet, while it is a century that remains central to modern constructions of national identity, it is a period associated with men. Until recently, the history of women in eighteenth-century Scotland, with perhaps the honourable exception of Flora McDonald, remained unwritten. Over the last decade however, research on women and gender in Scotland has flourished and we have an increasingly full picture of women's lives at all social levels across the century. As a result, this is an appropriate moment to reflect on what we know about Scottish women during the eighteenth century, to ask how their history affects the traditional narratives of the period, and to reflect on the implications for a national history of Scotland and Scottish identity. Divided into three sections, covering women's intimate, intellectual and public lives, this interdisciplinary volume offers articles on women's work, criminal activity, clothing, family, education, writing, travel and more. Applying tools from history, art anthropology, cultural studies, and English literature, it draws on a wide-range of sources, from the written to the visual, to highlight the diversity of women's experiences and to challenge current male-centric historiographies.
Trade Review'... Women in Eighteenth-Century Scotland stands on its own for its breadth of approach and wide appeal. Although historians of Scottish gender history will certainly embrace this collection for the ways in which it moves forward discussions and debates regarding Scottish women in the early modern and modern periods, this book will also prove useful for European historians of these topics seeking comparisons with their own research. Similarly, given the wealth of approaches utilized by the authors of these essays, this collection will also be valued by those studying other disciplines ...' Early Modern Women: an Interdisciplinary Journal '... this is an appropriate moment to reflect on what we know about Scottish women during the eighteenth century, to ask how their history affects the traditional narratives of the period, and to reflect on the implications for a national history of Scotland and Scottish identity.' The Bootle Imp '... succinct introduction weaves the strands together into a cohesive whole, presenting the book as an appreciation of the current strength of research into women’s and gender history in 18th-century Scotland... the gathering together of these articles marks a moment to reflect on what we have learned about Scottish women and where future research must be directed to enhance our understanding.' Reviews in History '... represent[s] some of the most exciting developments in a now flourishing field.' Eighteenth-Century Scotland
Table of ContentsContents: Introduction, Katie Barclay and Deborah Simonton; Part I Intimate Lives: Female birthing customs and beliefs, Anne Cameron; Love and courtship in 18th-century Scotland, Katie Barclay; When a lass goes ’so round’, with her ’tua sides high’: oral culture and women’s views on illegitimacy, Svetla Baloutzova; Family, politics and reform in Margaret Cullen’s Home: a Novel (1802), Jane Rendall. Part II Intellectual Lives: The value of feminine culture: community involvement in the provision of schooling for girls in 18th-century Scotland, Lindy Moore; The depiction of literacy, schooling and education in the autobiographical writings of 18th-century Scottish women, Betty Hagglund; Making mechanics modern: Mary Somerville’s translation of Laplace’s Mécanique céleste, Margaret Carlyle and James Wallace; Tourist sites and travellers: women and late 18th-century Scottish tourism, Pam Perkins; Scarred, suffering bodies: 18th-century Scottish women travellers on slavery, sentiment and sensibility, Corey E. Andrews. Part III Public Lives: Women, land and power: a case for continuity, Rosalind Carr; Negotiating the economy of the 18th-century Scottish town: female entrepreneurs claim their place, Deborah Simonton; The display and trading of fashionable dress and its impact on women in Scotland’s growing urban centres, c.1780-1825, Louisa Cross; ’Outrageous acts and everyday rebellions’: criminal women in 18th-century Scotland, Anne-Marie Kilday; Further reading; Index.
