audiobook Stories of the Buddha : Being Selections From the Jataka by Caroline A. F. Rhys Davids; C.A.F. Rhys Davids in History

Description

Written for everyone interested in women's and gender history; History Matters reaffirms the importance to feminist theory and activism of long-term historical perspectives. Judith M. Bennett; who has been commenting on developments in women's and gender history since the 1980s; argues that the achievement of a more feminist future relies on a rich; plausible; and well-informed knowledge of the past; and she asks her readers to consider what sorts of feminist history can best advance the struggles of the twenty-first century.Bennett takes as her central problem the growing chasm between feminism and history. Closely allied in the 1970s; each has now moved away from the other. Seeking to narrow this gap; Bennett proposes that feminist historians turn their attention to the intellectual challenges posed by the persistence of patriarchy. She posits a "patriarchal equilibrium" whereby; despite many changes in women's experiences over past centuries; women's status vis-à-vis that of men has remained remarkably unchanged. Although; for example; women today find employment in occupations unimaginable to medieval women; medieval and modern women have both encountered the same wage gap; earning on average only three-fourths of the wages earned by men. Bennett argues that the theoretical challenge posed by this patriarchal equilibrium will be best met by long-term historical perspectives that reach back well before the modern era. In chapters focused on women's work and lesbian sexuality; Bennett demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the distant past to feminist theory and politics. She concludes with a chapter that adds a new twist—the challenges of textbooks and classrooms—to viewing women's history from a distance and with feminist intent.A new manifesto; History Matters engages forthrightly with the challenges faced by feminist historians today. It argues for the radical potential of a history that is focused on feminist issues; aware of the distant past; attentive to continuities over time; and alert to the workings of patriarchal power.