Eylem Seç
Bending Their Gender: Women's Gender Performances during the American Revolution
Başlık:
Bending Their Gender: Women's Gender Performances during the American Revolution
Yazar:
Ehrets, Lisa, author.
ISBN:
9780438122628
Yazar Ek Girişi:
Fiziksel Tanımlama:
1 electronic resource (130 pages)
Genel Not:
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 57-06M(E).
Advisors: Andrew Vogel Committee members: Michael Gabriel; John Ronan.
Özet:
Eighteenth century female camp followers of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, or "women" who washed uniforms, fed troops, nursed ill soldiers, acted as spies and at times soldiers have long lacked the historical recognition of posterity for their immense and incredible contributions to the success of the Patriots during the war for independence. These "women" lived and fought in a time period which refused to acknowledge their incredibly resourceful and critical achievements at war, an occurrence fought in both political and military spheres distinctly coded masculine---and resistant of feminine participation. Female operatives within these spheres were regarded disdainfully and were barely tolerated, though their necessity was apparent. "Women" at camp filled the gaps of need at war left open by strict gender regulations such as nursing, cook, nurturer and washer woman. However, women additionally fulfilled dangerous jobs out of necessity including vital posts that males, due to their attached gender, would be considered suspect, such as that of spy---for "women" would not be considered capable of dangerous and masculine activity such as espionage.
Prominent theorist and professor, Judith Butler's exploration of how gender is a performance illustrates the unreliability of gender as a prerequisite for identity and as a formidable quantifier of what constitutes male and female in society. Although these "women" gained access to this territory via their prescribed gender appropriate clothing, behaviors and physical bearing, they also openly defied gender's strict normative capability rules as covert operators in war- a typified male capability. Butler's theory regarding gender performativity brings to the forefront the "natural" rationality of the enemy in allowing these "matrons" to trespass their territory during war and the perversion of the fact that had these individuals not been dressed as "women" and not performed their gender rituals of seeming matronly and powerless in accordance with conventional standards, they might not have been regarded as nonthreatening. However, if "women" as a category are able to perform as "men" do---by their dress, actions, and behaviors, power yielded and connections to political events, how does gender maintain its authenticity? Feminism's failure during the latter 18th century to spark a movement for equality, a seemingly natural consequence in the wake of achieving independence from Britain, perhaps underscores the lack of power inherent within gender.
The fact that women subscribed to the definition of women at all in their unity against hegemonic societal operators betrays their confidence in their abilities to be equal in society. Unfortunately for "women", the American Revolution did not bring about massive social change for them in the way of a gender revolution. If Americans were educated in gender theory and were made aware of its fallacious foundation, the value of gender as a qualifier of capabilities per sex in America would hopefully decrease. This would then pave the way for women and men to acknowledge that all contributions to the war effort were valuable and in this acknowledgment serve as an example to citizens of the republic that women in Revolutionary America and beyond are significant contributors to the success of the nation.
Notlar:
School code: 0467
Tüzel Kişi Ek Girişi:
Mevcut:*
Yer Numarası | Demirbaş Numarası | Shelf Location | Lokasyon / Statüsü / İade Tarihi |
---|---|---|---|
XX(693262.1) | 693262-1001 | Proquest E-Tez Koleksiyonu | Arıyor... |
On Order
Liste seç
Bunu varsayılan liste yap.
Öğeler başarıyla eklendi
Öğeler eklenirken hata oldu. Lütfen tekrar deneyiniz.
:
Select An Item
Data usage warning: You will receive one text message for each title you selected.
Standard text messaging rates apply.