Attraverso le città. Saggio introduttivo

Autori: Anna Badino, Ida Fazio, Fiorella Imprenti
In: Genesis. XIV/2, 2015
doi:10.1400/237813
PDF Open Access  
Download Download Download
Abstract

Introduction. Across Cities: Gender Relations in Urban Contexts
The essay introduces the papers of this special issue, and discusses recent historiography studying urban contexts through an approach focused on gendered organization of space, and of gendering of social, political and economic relations in modern and contemporary cities. The use of cities as resources by women during the early modern period has contributed to reshaping some major aspects of labour history, of the history of institutions, power and citizenship. Studies on women’s social and geographical mobility have stressed new issues about the importance of multilocal networks linking rural and urban worlds and different material and symbolic spaces. “Modernity” is one of the strongest categories that have been used by historians, but also by contemporaries, in order to de ne life in the cities of XIX and XXth centuries. The article discusses how modernity could have been a stereotype, but also a real chance for women to challenge the xity of identities and social roles. Finally, the article focuses on the studies that have analysed the themes of work, city and geographical mobility during the contemporary period. Through the examples of some particularly effective and illuminating researches, we show the usefulness of adopting an interdisciplinary approach and we call for a more effective exchange between history and other social sciences.