Use and evaluation of primary source material when researching gender

Author / Creator

Rogers, Lizzie, author

Available as

Online

Summary

This case study will enable you to develop the skills to research gender history. Through the lens of a prescriptive text concerning domestic relations in early seventeenth-century England, you wil...

This case study will enable you to develop the skills to research gender history. Through the lens of a prescriptive text concerning domestic relations in early seventeenth-century England, you will learn how to identify key features about the source and ask critical questions to understand the context, constructs, and experiences of gender in history. In the early seventeenth century, there was a proliferation of prescriptive literature that advised on male and female conduct. Advice concerning marriage and the household was extremely popular and was often written by members of the clergy. These documents constructed a particular model of gender and gender relations that was deeply rooted in religious patriarchies, which advocated a strict hierarchy of gendered roles within the home. Marriage and maintaining a home that followed models of Christ and the church was presented as imperative to the stability of gender relations. These texts provide a unique insight into the construction of gender during this period. By engaging with one such example within this case study, you will be able to recognise the messages communicated about gendered power dynamics within the early modern home, the practical applications of such writing, and evaluate the use of the source by contemporary audiences.

Show More