Postulates and methods of the “scientific” history as set by Leopold von Ranke: history’s objective existence; historian’s objectivity; primacy of the written, voluntary and official document; mechanistic relationship between the historian and the source. History as the history of nations, of institutions and of “great men”, and as a master of life. The difficulties of women in becoming professional historians. The years 1960s: the emergence of Women’s History. The contributory or accumulation phase.  Achievements and impasses in women’s history. The turn to gender. Effects of the introduction of the concept of gender. The situation in Portugal. 

Discussion of the article of Bonnie G. Smith, “Gender, Objectivity and the Rise of Scientific History”, in W. Natter, Th. R. Schatzki, J. P. Jones III (eds.), Objectivity and its Other, New York/London, The Gilford Press, 1995, pp. 51-66. 

References: 

DOWNS, Laura Lee, Writing Gender History, London, Hodder Arnold, 2004. 

EVANS, Richard, In Defence of History, revised edition, London, Granta Books, 2000. 

GREEN, Anna and Kathleen Troup (eds.), The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1999. 

NOVICK, Peter, That Noble Dream: The “Objectivity Question” and the American Historical Profession, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1988. 

SMITH, Bonnie, The Gender of History: Men, Women and Historical Practice, Cambridge (MA), Harvard University Press, 1998. 

Presentation of the syllabus, the bibliography and the assessment methodology. 

Each session of the seminar will be divided in two parts: in the first part (1 h) the teacher will make a theoretical presentation of a theme of the syllabus; in the second part (1h), there will be a discussion among all the participants about a text that has been handed out in advance. The assessment will be continuous and based on a final test on May 3rd worth 50% of the grade; the comments made to the articles proposed for discussion are worth 30%, and the remaining 20% of the grade will be attributed to the participation in the debates. 

There is a site of this Curricular Unit in the e-learning platform - “Gender and History [22/23]” - where all the materials are kept: PPT presented in the classes, articles for discussion, and so on. 

Students may be received face to face by the teacher on Tuesdays and Thursdays 5pm – 6 pm at room A104, or online by previous arrangement through the email anarodrigues2@campus.ul.pt.