Contested Paternity

Winner, J. Rusell Major Prize, American Historical AssociationWinner, Frances Richardson Keller-Sierra Prize, Western Association of Women HistoriansWinner, Charles E. Smith Award, European History section of the Southern Historical AssociationThis groundbreaking study examines complex notions of paternity and fatherhood in modern France through the lens of contested paternity. Drawing from archival judicial records on paternity suits, paternity denials, deprivation of paternity, and adoption, from the end of the eighteenth century through the twentieth, Rachel G. Fuchs reveals how paternity was defined and how it functioned in the culture and experiences of individual men and women."Fascinating in every particular... One of the most important aspects of Contested Paternity is the way in which Fuchs uses the history of paternity suits as a way to analyze changing attitudes towards fatherhood, motherhood, and childhood." -- H-France"A compelling study that examines the epochal shift in French fatherhood over the past two centuries." -- American Historical Review"Through her comprehensive study of paternity suits and the impact of banning them from 1804 and 1812, Rachel Fuchs has produced a tour de force on the history of family law in France from the eighteenth century to modern times." -- French Studies"Fuchs's treatment of the theme of constructions of paternity is stimulating, clear and yet highly refined... With her considerable methodological expertise as a social historian of France, she weaves an exceedingly colorful picture of disputes around paternity." -- French HistoryRachel G. Fuchs is a professor of history at Arizona State University.Fuchs, Rachel G. is the author of 'Contested Paternity', published 2008 under ISBN 9780801888328 and ISBN 0801888328.