El. knyga: Women and Gender in Post-Unification Italy: Between Private and Public Spheres

In the nineteenth century a woman’s place was considered to be in the home. During the Risorgimento and the years following the Unification of Italy in 1861, economic, political and social changes enabled women to engage in pursuits that had previously been the exclusive domain of men. This book traces this shift in cultural perception.

In nineteenth-century Italy, a woman’s place was considered to be in the domestic sphere, devoted to family life. But during the Risorgimento and the years following Unification, economic, political and social changes enabled women progressively to engage in pursuits that had previously been the exclusive domain of men. This book traces some of the steps of this shift in cultural perception. Covering the period from the Unification of Italy in 1861 to the First World War, the volume brings together new perspectives on women, culture and gender in ten original interdisciplinary chapters that explore a variety of subjects, including motherhood and spinsterhood, women’s relationship with the Italian language, emigration and brigantaggio, patriotism and travel writing, acting and theatre management, film-making, and political ideas and female solidarity.

Ten papers examine Italian women's prescribed roles as mothers and educators in light of the more public and civic position they were expected to adopt after 1861, the experiences of women living at the margins before World War I, and the reception of women who were credited for their contributions as political activists, writers, filmmakers, and performers. The final chapters question the usefulness of critical enquiries of women as a separate category at a time when fertile ground is being uncovered in studies on masculinities and sexualities. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)