Edited by Theodore Evergates (NHC Fellow, 1994–95) Were aristocratic women in medieval France little more than appendages to patrilineal families, valued as objects of exchange and necessary only for the production of male heirs? Such was the view proposed by the great French historian Georges Duby more than three decades ago and still widely accepted. … Continued
Edited by Helena Goscilo (NHC Fellow, 1990–91) One of the most remarkable changes taking place in Russia after the break-up of the Soviet empire is the radical transformation of Russian women's culture. Despite a historically male-dominated culture, gender awareness has flourished in the 1990's, and is reflected in a new body of women's literature and … Continued
By Linda S. Kauffman (NHC Fellow, 1983–84) Though letter writing is almost a lost art, twentieth-century writers have mimed the epistolary mode as a means of reevaluating the theme of love. In Special Delivery, Linda S. Kauffman places the narrative treatment of love in historical context, showing how politics, economics, and commodity culture have shaped the … Continued
By Sarah Deutsch (NHC Fellow, 1988–89) In the 70 years between the Civil War and World War II, the women of Boston changed the city dramatically. From anti-spitting campaigns and demands for police mothers to patrol local parks, to calls for a decent wage and living quarters, women rich and poor, white and black, immigrant … Continued
By Moshe Sluhovsky (NHC Fellow, 2002–03) From 1400 through 1700, the number of reports of demonic possessions among European women was extraordinarily high. During the same period, a new type of mysticism—popular with women—emerged that greatly affected the risk of possession and, as a result, the practice of exorcism. Many feared that in moments of … Continued
By Anne Firor Scott (Trustee; NHC Fellow, 1980–81) Making the Invisible Woman Visible presents the pioneering women's historian Anne Firor Scott at her best, writing on women and their social, political, and cultural roles in American history. Scott focuses especially upon the centrality of education and voluntary organizations to the advancement of women over the … Continued
Edited and translated by Anthony Bale (NHC Fellow, 2012–13) The Book of Margery Kempe (c. 1436-8) is the extraordinary account of a medieval wife, mother, and mystic. Known as the earliest autobiography written in the English language, Kempe's Book describes the dramatic transformation of its heroine from failed businesswoman and lustful young wife, to devout and chaste pilgrim. … Continued
By Barbara R. Ambros (NHC Fellow, 2013–14) Scholars have widely acknowledged the persistent ambivalence with which the Japanese religious traditions treat women. Much existing scholarship depicts Japan’s religious traditions as mere means of oppression. But this view raises a question: How have ambivalent and even misogynistic religious discourses on gender still come to inspire devotion … Continued
By Bonnie G. Smith (NHC Fellow, 1984–85)
By Monica H. Green (NHC Fellow, 1996–97) Making Women's Medicine Masculine challenges the common belief that prior to the eighteenth century men were never involved in any aspect of women's healthcare in Europe. Using sources ranging from the writings of the famous twelfth-century female practitioner, Trota of Salerno, all the way to the great tomes of … Continued