Citizenship and Gender in Britain, 1688–1928 explores the history of citizenship in Britain during a period when admission to the political community was commonly thought about in terms of gender.
Between the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 the key question in British politics was what sorts of men – and subsequently women – should be admitted to citizenship, particularly in terms of parliamentary suffrage. This book makes new links between the histories of gender and politics, and surveys exciting recent work in these areas. By examining central topics such as political masculinity, electoral culture, party politics and women’s suffrage through this lens, it expands not only the remit of gender history but encourages the reader to rethink how we approach the history of politics. It explores the close connections between gender, nation and class in Britain, and advocates a new cultural history of politics for the period between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
Citizenship and Gender in Britain, 1688-1928 is essential reading for students of early modern and modern British history, gender history and political history.
Introduction: what is citizenship?; 1 The state and the public sphere; 2 Political masculinities, 1688-1837; 3 The British electoral tradition; 4 Patriotism and revolution, 1776-1819; 5 Women and political campaigning; 6 Reform, domesticity and citizenship, 1820-1848; 7 Feminism and citizenship; 8 Popular politics in the age of mass party, 1837-1901; 9 Citizenship, society and the state; 10 Votes for women, 1865-1928; Conclusion
Biography
Matthew McCormack is Professor of History at the University of Northampton. He has published widely on masculinity, politics and war. His previous books include The Independent Man: Citizenship and Gender Politics in Georgian England (2005) and Embodying the Militia in Georgian England (2015).
Citizenship and Gender’s new gendered narrative of political culture will be highly attractive not just to students and the academic community, but to a broader audience interested in the history of British politics, parliament and the people.
– Katie Carpenter, University of Bristol, UK History (2021)
