Feminist History Reader

Over the past thirty-five years, feminist historians have challenged, debated and transformed the way history is, and should be, written. This self-critical dialogue between women has resulted in the development of a richly reflexive historiography. The Feminist History Reader provides a clearly structured introduction to some of the very best writers in the field of feminist history, gathering together key articles that have shaped this vibrant historiography and introducing students to the major theoretical shifts and turning points in feminist historical discourse. The Reader is divided into four parts. Part I looks at early feminist historians' writings following the move from reclaiming women's past through to the development of gender history. Part II focuses on the interaction of feminist history with '¬~the linguistic turn', addressing the challenges of poststructuralism and the responses it provoked. Part III examines the work of lesbian historians and queer theorists in their interrogation of the heterocentrism of feminist history writing. The fourth part of the Reader explores the concept of '¬~difference' in the work of black feminists, postcolonial critics and Third World scholars and the ways in which this scholarship has sought to decolonise feminist history. Each reading has a critical introduction with suggested further reading for each part. Including a specially written, comprehensive introduction by the editor, this is a wide-ranging guide to both past developments and future orientations in the theorising of feminist history and is essential reading for all students of history.Morgan, Sue is the author of 'Feminist History Reader', published 2006 under ISBN 9780415318105 and ISBN 0415318106.