Feminism, Gender, and Histories of Education

Abstract

This chapter examines current debates and trends in gender and feminist inquiry in the history of education, noting the influence of feminist history more broadly, as well as influences deriving from the specific field of education. Key historiographical concerns are illustrated with case examples, most drawn from Australia. I distinguish between histories of feminism and those of gender and education and argue for greater consideration of the historicity of approaches and questions informing both endeavors. Section “Feminism, Gender, and Historiographical Motifs,” notes contemporary debates and dilemmas and revisits influential approaches and concepts, notably from the second wave of feminism and subsequent theoretical attention to the social and discursive construction of gender. The significance of identity as site of historical investigation is considered and connected to an analysis of generational dynamics in play, across the construction of historical problems, theories, and politics. Section “Trends in Gendered Histories of Education,” identifies shifting trends in gendered histories of education, noting national and transnational preoccupations and emerging areas of conceptual and methodological innovation. It argues for more robust attention to the multiple times and chronologies of feminist theory as it intersects with historical inquiry and reflects on what defines history of education as “feminist” today. The Conclusion points to future directions, asks how feminist histories have transformed educational history, indicates ongoing dilemmas about the purposes and definitional character of this work, and calls for an intersectional historiography of education in which gendered and feminist histories of education are seen as integral to and not only a specialist subfield in a bifurcated historiography.