Despite the considerable volume of research into various aspects of the social and economic, cultural and political history of eighteenth-century British towns, remarkably little has focused upon, or even reflected upon the distinctive experience of women in the urban context. Much of what research there is has explored the experience of laboring or impoverished women, or women of the social elite; by contrast, the essays in this collection take up the study of the participation of middling women in urban life. This volume brings into sharper focus the relationship between changes consequent upon urban development and shifts in the pattern of gender relations in the 18th century. The contributors address such themes as the extent to which to what extent urban change accelerated a redefinition of gender relations; the connections between urban growth, changing definitions of citizenship, and the emergence of the male gendered political subject; the role of women in a literate, consumer and industrializing society; the place of women's networks in the economic, political and social life of the town and the distinctive role played by women in areas such as philanthropy and business; and how the development of urban society in turn inflected contemporary conceputalizations of gender.

About the Author
Rosemary Sweet, University of Leicester, UK and Penelope Lane Rosemary Sweet, Elaine Chalus, Sylvia Pinches, Christine Wiskin, Hannah Barker, Karen Harvey, Helen Berry, Denise Fowler, David E. Shuttleton.

Reviews
'This is a very useful collection for students and scholars, firmly redefining women in the urban picture.' Economic History Review '... a useful addition to reading lists.' H-Net Review



Book Information
ISBN 9780754607304
Author Rosemary Sweet
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 590g