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History General

Nine Centuries of Man

Manhood and Masculinity in Scottish History

edited by Lynn Abrams & Elizabeth L. Ewan

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2017
Category
General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781474403894
    Publish Date
    Feb 2017
    List Price
    $132.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781474437837
    Publish Date
    Sep 2018
    List Price
    $43.95

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Description

Scotland, with its stereotypes of the kilted warrior and the industrial "hard man" has long been characterized in masculine terms, but there has been little historical exploration of what masculinity actually means for men (and women) in a Scottish context. This interdisciplinary collection explores a diverse range of the multiple and changing forms of masculinities from the late eleventh to the late twentieth century, examining the ways in which Scottish society through the ages defined expectations for men and their behaviour.

How men reacted to those expectations is examined through sources such as documentary materials, medieval seals, romance, poetry, begging letters, police reports and court records, charity records, oral histories and personal correspondence. Focusing upon the wide range of activities and roles undertaken by men - work, fatherhood and play, violence and war, sex and commerce - the book also illustrates the range of masculinities which affected or were internalised by men. Together, they illustrate some of the ways Scotland's gender expectations have changed over the centuries and how more generally masculinities have informed the path of Scottish history.

About the authors

Contributor Notes

Lynn Abrams is Professor of Modern History at the University of Glasgow. She has published widely on Scottish gender history and was convenor of Women's History Scotland 2008-13. Her many publications include Oral History Theory (2016), Myth and Materiality in a Woman's World: Shetland 1800-2000 (2005) and Gender in Scottish History Since 1700 (2006). Elizabeth Ewan is University Research Chair and Professor of Scottish Studies and History at the University of Guelph, Canada. She publishes on medieval and early modern Scotland in gender, crime and urban history. Her edited books include The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women (2006), Finding the Family in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland (2008) and Children and Youth in Premodern Scotland (2015).