Much of the literature published so far on gender relations in rural areas has either focused on comparisons of the position of men and women, or explored the position of women given prevailing structural forces and behavioural 'norms' that restrict the autonomy of women as human agents. This groundbreaking book broadens the debate by developing our understanding of how societal processes produce and sustain gender divisions, particularly in rural areas, highlighting aspects of rural women's lives previously invisible in the literature. Illustrated by case studies from France, Germany, Greece, Norway and Sweden, the book examines the critical issues of education and training, entrepreneurship, leadership, limited work and service opportunities, social mobility, and work experiences. In doing so, the contributors provide a fascinating comparative study of both national-regional and broader European realities.

No way but out: German women in Mecklenburg / Monika Blaschke -- To be matched or to move: Irish women's prospects in Munster / Deirdre Mageean -- Maids in motion: Swedish women in Dalsland / Margareta Matovic -- Land and loyalties: contours of Polish women's lives / Maria Anna Knothe -- Creating a community: German-American women in Chicago / Christiane Harzig -- Making sense and providing structure: Irish-American women in the parish neighborhood / Deirdre Mageean -- Embracing a middle-class life: Swedish-American women in Lake View / Margareta Matovic -- Recent arrivals: Polish immigrant women's response to the city / Maria Anna Knothe.

Fundamental societal changes in the globalising European countryside impact women's migration decisions. The chapters in this volume represent diverse attempts to explain women's movements from rural areas, taking prevailing labour market conditions as well as gender relations into account. Utilising empirical findings from countries including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain, this collection particularly aims to build bridges between research following the 'cultural turn' and functionalist explanations which refer to material and practiced ruralities. The international range of contributors to Women and Migration in Rural Europe focus on societal constructions of gender and rurality, and in doing so, address various female perspectives on rural life. The analysis of the different working and living conditions in different parts of rural Europe reveals distinct obstacles but also prospects for young women. Importantly, the book includes policy implications with respect to the challenges of demographic change, questions of gender equality and women's contribution to rural development.

The Routledge History of Women in Early Modern Europe is a comprehensive and ground-breaking survey of the lives of women in early-modern Europe between 1450 and 1750. Covering a period of dramatic political and cultural change, the book challenges the current contours and chronologies of European history by observing them through the lens of female experience. The collaborative research of this book covers four themes: the affective world; practical knowledge for life; politics and religion; arts, science and humanities. These themes are interwoven through the chapters, which encompass all areas of women’s lives: sexuality, emotions, health and wellbeing, educational attainment, litigation and the practical and leisured application of knowledge, skills and artistry from medicine to theology. The intellectual lives of women, through reading and writing, and their spirituality and engagement with the material world, are also explored. So too is the sheer energy of female work, including farming and manufacture, skilled craft and artwork, theatrical work and scientific enquiry. The Routledge History of Women in Early Modern Europe revises the chronological and ideological parameters of early-modern European history by opening the reader’s eyes to an exciting age of female productivity, social engagement and political activism across European and transatlantic boundaries. It is essential reading for students and researchers of early-modern history, the history of women and gender studies.

"Much of the literature published so far on gender relations in rural areas has either focused on comparisons of the position of men and women, or explored the position of women given prevailing structural forces and behavioural 'norms' that restrict the autonomy of women as human agents. This groundbreaking book broadens the debate by developing our understanding of how societal processes produce and sustain gender divisions, particularly in rural areas, highlighting aspects of rural women's lives previously invisible in the literature. Illustrated by case studies from France, Germany, Greece, Norway and Sweden, the book examines the critical issues of education and training, entrepreneurship, leadership, limited work and service opportunities, social mobility, and work experiences. In doing so, the contributors provide a fascinating comparative study of both national-regional and broader European realities."--Provided by publisher.

Considers the complications of race, religion, sexuality, and gender in Europeanizing from below

Shulamit and Margarete takes a microhistorical look at a small village on the border of Germany and France in the eighteenth century. Drawing on the rich source material of the village, it casts a searching light on the boundaries created by language, states, religions, cultures, sex, and gender. By writing the history of the village from multiple perspectives, the author is able to uncover fascinating artefacts of a cultural contact between Christians and Jews, and to gain insights into the agency and experiences of women in rural society. The book is enhanced by a variety of sources and illustrations relating to Jewish history, such as the last will of Abraham Levy and the previously unknown portraits of Fromette Levy and Bernard Lipmann.