Preliminary communication

Had Governess Been a Woman? On Woman’s Identity

Adriana Zaharijević ; University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia

Abstract

The paper seeks to offer a different paradigm for understanding identity by genealogical reading of the figure of governess in the 19th century England. By exposing the unintelligibility of this specific figure, if class assumptions of her gender identity and her specific position in the labour market and in the production of other women are left out of consideration, the paper attempts at questioning the context of patriarchy as the context which enables the definition of woman’s identity. Instead of that framework, the paper introduces the notion “system of private and public”, which is meant to replace the rigid concept of identity in our interpretations of the idea of woman.

Keywords

woman; governess; class; identity; system of private and public

Hrčak ID:

82494

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/82494

Publication date:

21.3.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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