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Lecturer(s)
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Stráníková Jana, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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Some seminar sessions will be conducted on a general level; however, the topic will often be grounded in concrete examples of individuals from artisan backgrounds. Attention will gradually be given to the following themes: 1. Introduction: How to study women's history and everyday life in the 19th century? 2. Social structure and its impact on gender differences - Social classes: bourgeoisie, artisans, rural population - Gender expectations across social strata - Interactions between classes (e.g. in marriage and apprenticeship) 3. The role of the church in marriage; marriage as economic security - Church regulation of marriage - Marriage strategies in craft and bourgeois environments - Widowhood and remarriage as part of family economic strategies 4. The artisan family as the basic unit of society - Structure of the artisan household - The role of women in the workshop and home - The family business and intergenerational transmission of the craft 5. Upbringing and education of girls - the example of the Šembera family - Gender differences in children's education in artisan families - Practical and moral educational aims (skills vs. morals) - Girls' education in towns and in rural areas 6. Connected or separate spheres? Women's work in the artisan environment - Women's contribution to production and trade - Women as assistants, businesswomen and workshop owners - Work at home and outside (examples from textile and food crafts) 7. Gender differences in travel (artisan classes) - the case of M. M. Hanková - Journeys of apprentices and journeymen vs. women's travel - Mobility within families (moving for work, visiting relatives) - The example of Marie Magdalena Hanková 8. Artisan correspondence I: Family relationships at a distance - How women wrote and were written about in letters - Emotions, expression of feelings, formal and informal aspects - Maintaining family and business relationships through correspondence 9. Artisan correspondence II: Upbringing and education in letters - Letters about childrearing, apprenticeships of sons and daughters - Roles of mothers and fathers in education - The impact of correspondence on the transfer of values and craft knowledge 10. The body, health and bodily care in the artisan environment - Health care in the family; the mother caring for sick children (example from Františka Brychtová's letters) - Motherhood, childbirth - Women's care networks (midwives, neighbourly assistance) 11. Religion and morality in the artisan environment - Women's religious practices, the role of parish and spiritual authority - "The good woman": moral ideals, virtues and norms - The influence of religion on upbringing and everyday decision-making 12. Conclusion: Changes in women's status at the end of the 19th century - The first women's associations and educational activities - The beginnings of the women's movement in the Czech lands - Summary: What changed and what persisted in gender roles?
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic (reading, lecture, briefing), Dialogic (discussion, interview, brainstorming), Work with text (with textbook, with book), Methods of individual activities
- Independent critical reading
- 4 hours per semester
- Preparation of a presentation (report) in a foreign language
- 2 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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This seminar explores the position of women in the Czech lands in the 19th century, with particular emphasis on the lower middle classes, i.e. women from craft and artisan backgrounds. Students will become familiar with the key concepts of gender history, social structure and the history of everyday life in the 19th century, as well as with important milestones and phenomena that influenced and transformed women's status during this period. Subsequently, specific topics from the craft environment will be examined: how family ties, work, education and religion shaped the everyday lives of women and men, and what gender roles were expected in the context of artisan families. The seminar is open also to students from non-historical disciplines and does not require prior knowledge of historical methods.
A sufficient command of English is required to read and understand academic texts and to engage with their argumentation. In addition, students are expected to demonstrate standard academic competencies appropriate to university-level study, including the ability to work with scholarly sources, participate in seminar discussions, articulate their views, and prepare oral presentations or written assignments.
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Prerequisites
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No prior coursework in history is required to enrol in this seminar. It is open to students of all academic backgrounds who have an interest in gender history, the history of everyday life, or social history. Active participation in discussion, willingness to engage with texts, and readiness to contribute to group work are expected.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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unspecified
To successfully complete the course, students are expected to attend seminars regularly and participate actively in discussions of assigned texts and materials. During the semester, each student will prepare and deliver one presentation (either individually or in pairs), based on independently studied literature or the analysis of provided historical documents. Attendance at the final seminar (colloquium), which will summarise the main topics of the course and offer space for collective reflection, is also mandatory.
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Recommended literature
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ANDERSON, Michael John. Family structure in nineteenth century Lancashire. London, 1974. ISBN 0-521-09883-1.
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BUTLER, Judith - WEED, Elizabeth (eds.). The question of gender: Joan W. Scott's critical feminism. 21st century studies. Bloomington, 2011. ISBN 978-0-253-22324-1.
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