Women and Gender in 18th-century Russia

Although the topic of gender has been comparatively well explored with respect to Russia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the eighteenth century (1700-1825) is still under-researched. This collection of essays by authorities in the field from the USA, Russia, and Western Europe focuses on the social history and culture both of noblewomen and of lower-class women, about whom relatively little is currently known. This is the first collection of essays on women in eighteenth-century Russia. Much of the research is based on women's own evidence and on archival documents.Women's culture is explored through women's own accounts of their education, and studies of their letters and literary works. Special topics include dress and cosmetics, arrangements for the defence of privacy, dowries, and irregular marital unions. Three essays uncover evidence about the lives of lower-class women, their involvement with the courts, and their experience of employment.