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Gender and the Politics of History

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( 540 ratings, 38 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Gender and the Politics of History by Joan Wallach Scott is a foundational work in feminist history and historical methodology. Scott critiques the separation of women's history from broader political and social categories, asserting that these categories are inherently shaped by gender. The book analyses diverse topics such as language, class, work, and family, demonstrating the essential role of gender in understanding historical and cultural differences. This anniversary edition includes a new preface reflecting on the book's ongoing relevance and a previously unpublished essay, "The Conundrum of Equality," addressing affirmative action.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$6099
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for students and scholars of feminist theory, history, cultural studies, and social sciences, as well as readers interested in gender studies and the politics of historical narrative.

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This landmark work from a renowned feminist historian is a foundational demonstration of the uses of gender as a conceptual tool for cultural and historical analysis. In this anniversary edition, Scott reflects on the book’s legacy and implications for contemporary politics as well as her engagement with psychoanalytic theory.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This landmark work from a renowned feminist historian is a foundational demonstration of the uses of gender as a conceptual tool for cultural and historical analysis. Joan Wallach Scott offers a trenchant critique of the compartmentalization of women's history, arguing that political and social categories are always fundamentally shaped by gender and that questions of gender are essential to considerations of difference in history.

Exploring topics ranging from language and class to the politics of work and family, Gender and the Politics of History is a vital contribution to feminist history and historical methodology that also speaks more broadly to the ongoing redefinition of gender in our political and cultural vocabularies.

This anniversary edition of a classic text in feminist theory and history shows the evergreen relevance of Scott's work to the humanities and social sciences. In a new preface, Scott reflects on the book's legacy and implications for contemporary politics as well as what she has reconsidered as a result of her engagement with psychoanalytic theory. The book also includes a previously unpublished essay, "The Conundrum of Equality," which takes up the question of affirmative action.

Series: Gender and Culture Series

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  • Gender and the Politics of History
    This landmark work from a renowned feminist historian is a foundational demonstration of the uses of gender as a conceptual tool for cultural and historical analysis. Joan Wallach Scott offers a trenchant critique of the compartmentalization of women's history, arguing that political and social categories are always fundamentally shaped by gender and that questions of gender are essential to considerations...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as a "real tour de force" by New York Times, Scott's work is recognised for its thoughtful, pioneering approach to gender and history (Nation). Reviews highlight its intelligence and sensitivity (New Republic), and its dual role as both a manual and a broad assessment of women's history in the 1980s (Gender and Society). The American Historical Review underscores its powerful advocacy for recognising gender differences in historical scholarship, while the Journal of Social History calls it a "radical," "provocative," and "very satisfying" book.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780231188012

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 January 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: Columbia University Press

Edition: thirtieth anniversary edition

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Joan Wallach Scott is professor emerita in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Her books include Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man (1996); The Fantasy of Feminist History (2011); and Sex and Secularism (2017).

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