The contributors to this book examine women and the construction of gender thematically, dealing with the areas of politics, law, religion, sexuality, literature and economics, and in a variety of social categories, from Christians and Moriscas, queens and merchants, peasants and visionaries, heretics and madwomen. The essays cover different regions in the Spanish monarchy, including Andalusia, Aragon, Castile, Catalonia, Valencia and Spanish America, from the fifteenth century through to the eighteenth century. The book focuses on two central themes: gender relations in the shaping of family and community life, and women's authority in spheres of power. The representation of women in a variety of texts such as poetry, court cases, or even account books illustrate the multifaceted world in which women lived, constantly choosing and negotiating their identities.
Selection of over 140 readings in women's studies in fourteen sections: feminist social theory: psychological and psychoanalytic theory: cross-cultural and historical perspectives on women's lives: education and work: marriage and motherhood: sexuality: the law: crime and deviance: politics and the state: science, medicine and reproductive technology: language and gender: feminist literary criticism: representations of women in the media.